UEA President Renée Pinkney issued the following statement:
“The Utah Education Association applauds Utah Governor Spencer Cox for making teacher salaries a top priority in his proposed budget. We also appreciate the significant ongoing investments in public education made by the governor and the Utah State Legislature in previous years, including during the height of the pandemic.
“The UEA’s vision is a safe equitable school for every child. This starts with a highly qualified educator paid a professional salary. In addition, we must solve the larger school staff and labor shortage. Ideally, investments in our school educators and staff will be made in a way that allows local school boards to direct the funding where it is most needed and appropriate for each school district.
“We look forward to working with our elected representatives this legislative session and encourage legislators to avoid distractions that will only divert our attention from the substantive issues facing our schools, our students and our dedicated school workforce.”
