Sex and how to teach kids about it was the topic of discussion on Utah’s Capitol Hill yesterday. House Bill 363 initially proposed banning any discussion on contraceptives, premarital sex and homosexuality in Utah schools. As KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, the bill passed out of committee after a heated debate, but not before significant changes were made.

  Segment 1: A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control shows a quarter of teen moms in Utah thought they couldn’t get pregnant and had trouble getting birth control. Coupled with increasing rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted diseases, the new research raises questions about what Utah students are learning about [...]

Utah lawmakers are putting more effort into reducing class sizes in public schools, with a bill that would cap them in kindergarten through third grade clearing the Senate floor this morning. Democratic Senator Karen Morgan’s bill would limit kindergarten classrooms to 20 students, first and second grade to 22, and 24 for third grade. Any classroom that didn’t meet the limit would be required to have a teacher’s aide.

A new plan from the Utah State Office of Education will likely save local school districts a lot of money when it comes to teaching materials. It’s announced an initiative to develop open textbooks, which can be accessed for free online or printed at a much cheaper cost. Diana Suddreth is the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM Coordinator with the state office.

Getting students more help with their college and career plans is the focus of one Democratic state lawmaker. A bill proposed by Representative Patrice Arent creates a pilot program that would put 18 interns in Utah schools to specifically help students with college admissions and scholarships. Arent says while high school guidance counselors normally do this type of work, they simply have too many other things to get done, having to serve more than 360 students per counselor.

As Chief Deputy Utah Attorney General, Republican John Swallow has battled against the federal government on issues like health care reform and public lands. Now, with incumbent Mark Shurtleff retiring at the end of 2012, he’s running for his boss’s job.

Democratic state lawmakers say they’ve found a way to increase per-pupil spending in education without raising taxes, while tackling issues like class size and teacher preparedness. This morning House and Senate Democrats unveiled the details of their Best Schools Initiative, which as KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, includes one specific proposal a lawmaker says would increase per-pupil funding.

Utah school districts may be required to seek competitive bids every three years for medical coverage if the state legislature approves a proposed bill. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, one Republican state lawmaker is trying to save taxpayer dollars by making sure schools are getting the best bang for their buck, but others say the issue is a bit more delicate.

Utah residents say education should be the state’s number one priority during the 2012 legislative session, according to an annual statewide poll released this morning at the Legislative Policy Summit at Zions Bank. And as KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, the majority of respondents also want to change Utah’s political caucus system.

The Utah Democratic party is asking Republicans to prove they’ll put public education at the top of the list this year. The House Republican Caucus met yesterday to outline their priorities for the 2012 legislative session, which included education, reducing state debt and drawing the line on taxes. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, Democrats say they hope House Republicans will focus on education this session, but their track record leads them to believe otherwise.