Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — After a failed attempt to enhance classroom technology during the 2014 legislative session, lawmakers on Tuesday took the first steps toward another run at placing a learning device in the hands of every student in Utah.
No official action was taken, but members of the Education Task Force reviewed the terms of HB131, which stalled during the most recent session amid uncertainty over its hefty $200 million price tag, and discussed ways to move forward toward a so-called "one-to-one device" initiative.
"In the end, I think if we did nothing else we generated a lot of discussion and awareness," Rep. Francis Gibson, R-Mapleton, said of the failed bill, which he sponsored.
Although sponsored by Gibson, HB131, or the Public Education Modernization Act, was largely attributed to House Speaker Becky Lockhart, R-Provo, who is not seeking re-election this year.
Lockhart said Tuesday that a focus of the bill would be ongoing teacher training, which would help keep educators up to date with new teaching technologies.
She said too many new teachers graduate from Utah's colleges and universities with an education degree but little to no understanding of how to effectively implement technology in the classroom — a situation she repeatedly referred to as "horrific."
"They have no idea how to use technology to enhance the learning process," Lockhart said.
For me it's not if we should do it, it's how do we do it.
–Sen. Stuart Reid
Sen. Stuart Reid, R-Ogden, suggested a need for lawmakers to work with the State Board of Education to establish new requirements for teacher licensure stressing the need for technology training.
He said that if an understanding of technology were required for teachers to enter the classroom, Utah's colleges and universities would respond by requiring that type of coursework in education programs.
"If we’re going to implement this and implement it right, there really needs to be a strong partnership between us and the State Office (of Education) and the School Board so that it can carry on, become institutionalized to some extent and be reinforced down to the district level."
Reid, who is also not seeking re-election this year, expressed his support for a technology initiative. He said the question is not whether students would benefit from more learning devices in the classroom but instead is what is the most efficient manner for the state to move forward.
"I support your initiative," Reid said. "For me it's not if we should do it, it's how do we do it."
But the cost of classroom technology was again at the center of Tuesday's discussion. Gibson and Lockhart spoke of the one-time and ongoing funding needs involved with a one-to-one device initiative, including infrastructure and network upgrades, device purchases and replacement over time, software programming and teacher training.
"The costs that were being talked about for achieving this kind of technological leap forward might sacrifice the same money, or some of the same money, going to other types of educational pursuits," Rep. Jack Draxler, R-North Logan, said. "That’s a concern that would have to be addressed."
Senate President Wayne Niederhauser suggested that funding is the largest obstacle standing in the way of new school technology, and he suggested that House and Senate leaders go into the next session with a better understanding of how many state dollars would be sought for the initiative.
"It would be great for us to go into next session arm and arm, both bodies, determining how we're actually going to make this happen on a money basis," Niederhauser said.
Sen. Patricia Jones, D-Holladay, agreed, saying that the funding figures discussed during the legislative session — between $200 and $300 million — were "jaw dropping" to some people and resulted in heartburn toward HB131.
"We would probably all agree that we have to have new technology in our classrooms," Jones said. "When you look at the balance between investing in real life people who are professional educators, there’s an equivalent, at least an equivalent need to invest in them as well."
Lockhart said that members of the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst are working on identifying the funding requirements of a statewide one-to-one device initiative. She also said that some of the funding could come out of naturally occurring economic growth.
But the remainder, Lockhart said, would require the Legislature to reprioritize funding and allocate money to school technology at the expense of less impactful state programs.
"We’ve got to make priorities," she said. "That’s what we do in the Legislature."
