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SALT LAKE CITY — Teachers, school officials, parents and students braved blustery weather and crowded the south steps of the Utah Capitol on Tuesday to speak out against bills making their way through the Legislature and advocate for more support for teachers and public education.
The rally, hosted by the Salt Lake Education Association, Granite Education Association, Park City Education Association, Canyons Association and Jordan Education Association drew hundreds of people to the Capitol where they chanted in support of public education and listened to speeches by teachers, school staff and parents.
Specifically, speakers spoke against HB234, a bill that would require all Utah public school teachers to post all learning materials and syllabi for each day of instruction for parents to review, saying the bill adds unnecessary work to a profession that is "overburdened and in crisis."
"Some may say the transparency bills are just opening the door for parents to be involved in education and improve their student's curriculum," said Kelly Yeates, a teacher in the Park City School District. "In reality, these laws close opportunities from students, they stifle creativity of teachers and send a direct message that we are not trusted. It's demoralizing and it needs to stop."
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, has already scrapped the proposal for this legislative session. A Jan. 28 statement from Teuscher said due to a "coordinated misinformation campaign" against HB234, he had spent much of his time "putting out fires" and believes the bill needs more time than is left in the session to pass.
Additionally, speakers advocated for increased support from administrators, more funding for public schools, more competitive compensation, reducing class sizes, incentivizing teaching programs in colleges to attract more students into education and urged legislators to support and trust the expertise of educators.
"Talk to your superintendents, ask them what they're going to do for you to stand up here and represent the biggest business in the state of Utah — education," said Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, who is also a public school educator.
