Pub. 9 2019-2020 Issue 3

8 ... the candidates who responded want to reduce the restrictions on how schools can use the funding the state provides, and want to give schools more options in how they measure student achievement. A ccording to a new questionnaire distributed by the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools, candidates for Utah state offices want to give public education more flexibility in how they structure their schools and classrooms. Not only is their strong support for more charter schools, but the candidates who responded want to reduce the restrictions on how schools can use the funding the state provides, and want to give schools more options in how they measure student achievement. In Utah, state officials — the legislature, the governor, authorizers and the state board of education — create the legal and regulatory framework for most charter school issues. To help the public better understand how candidates for various statewide elected offices feel about education generally, and charter school issues more specifically, UAPCS emailed a survey to all candidates for the legislature, the governor, U.S. House of Representatives and the state board of education. The survey had 15 questions; 48 candidates responded. No Constitution Democrat Independent American Libertarian Republican Unaffiliated United Utah (blank) Grand Total 1 9 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 24 40 8 1 3 Yes Table Do you support limiting the number of new charter schools? For many of the questions, the candidates responded almost unanimously. For example, all but one candidate replied, “Yes” to the question, “Do you support a parent’s right to choose the best public school in their judgment for their children?” Similarly, every candidate replied, “No,” to the question, “Do you support reducing the number of existing charter schools?” A striking, bipartisan majority of candidates oppose restricting the number of new charter schools in Utah. Nine of 12 Democrats and 24 of 25 Republicans oppose limiting the number of new charter schools. Only eight total candidates want to limit the number of new charter schools in Utah. Candidates Want More Flexibility, Less Regulation in Utah Education