Senators Consider Keeping Controversial State Board of Ed Selection Committee
Aug 21, 2008 by Elizabeth Ziegler
(KCPW News) The governor supports direct elections of state school board members. The board itself wants such a system. But after a preliminary discussion on the matter yesterday, Senate Republicans appear not to.
"There's a concern of whether or not we want to go to an open primary or a partisan primary or leave the system the way it is," says Senate President John Valentine, speaking after Wednesday's caucus meeting. "If I could sense the state of the caucus today, the sense of the caucus is to leave the process the way it is."
Senate Majority Leader Curt Bramble adds the legislature originally created the system of selecting the state school board candidates to ensure only top notch candidates would be elected to the board.
"The reason the state went to the system we have now, which was before my tenure, was to get highly qualified individuals, education qualified individuals, running for the school board, that's why there was a screening process, why the governor was given that authority," Bramble says. "And so there's a discussion of whether that should continue."
In June, the State Board of Education sent a stern letter condemning the current process and advocating for an open primary. Governor Jon Huntsman followed shortly with statements of support for changing the system to an open primary.
Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2008 KCPW
1. very concerned said:
Boy O'Boy. I guess we should bow down to Valentine and Bramble, because we, the little people, just don't know how to determine who the qualified candidates are. Valentine and Bramble - you are my heros!
3. ReasonedTraveler said:
Don't forget, we've been reminded already this week about the dangers of "too much democracy" from our Utah Republican legislators.
2. Gayleen Gandy said:
If we have a screening process of one public office, shouldn't we have the same process for all elected officials. Personally, I believe that no one should be elected to the legislature who has never spent at least several entire days volunteering in public school classrooms at both the elementary and secondary school levels. Without that front line exposure, how can anyone be qualified to vote on legislation that affect public education?
It is interesting that the "screening process" put in place by the legislature for state school board candidates requires neither the members of the selection committee or those they nominate to have at least that minimum qualification. In fact, some of those who have the most first hand experience with education have been rejected by the committee.