Outspoken Democratic Sen. Jim Dabakis seeks to abolish the state school board — and a Senate committee agreed with him unanimously

For years, Utah lawmakers have argued the merits of electing school board members through partisan or nonpartisan elections. And at one point, a proposal was floated to have the 15-member board appointed by the governor.

But SJR16, a proposed constitutional amendment sponsored by Dabakis, takes that debate one step further by eliminating the Utah Board of Education altogether, replacing it with a single, appointed state superintendent who would oversee public education on the governor’s behalf.