Today, the Senate passed H.B. 215, Funding for Teacher Salaries and Optional Education Opportunities. The Utah Senate Democrats issue the following statement in support of public education:
“As Democrats, we oppose all efforts to divert taxpayer dollars away from our public school system, our educators, and children. H.B. 215 fails to support students and weakens public education by redirecting public funds to private institutions without any safeguards, protections against discrimination, and transparency. In an attempt to mitigate these issues, Democrats proposed several commonsense solutions to H.B. 215. Additionally, we will always advocate for salary increases and respect for our teachers who work diligently to enrich and develop the minds of our children. We are extremely disappointed in the policy tactic to entangle teacher salaries with vouchers—two issues that deserve separate consideration and meaningful input from taxpayers, educators, and parents. We will continue to fight for a strong public education system to support all Utahns.”
