Utah lawmakers debated fewer education bills this session than in any of the past five years.
But there were more measures on school safety proposed and passed than ever before. A controversial proposal to allow Utah Board of Education candidates to run under a political party unexpectedly squeaked by in the last hours. And, with a budget held hostage until the final week, public schools found they weren’t allocated as much money as anticipated in a big surplus year.
So, while the overall number of classroom and campus bills may have dipped, many were left reeling from what they saw as a surprisingly outsized impact.