The Inaugural Utah School Boards Association (USBA) Lawmaker Day in the Classroom will take place September 23-27, 2024. Members of the Utah School Boards Association kicked off the initiative by inviting every member of the Utah Legislature and the Utah State Board of Education to visit schools in their respective districts and engage with students, teachers, and school communities.
When asked why USBA created Lawmaker Day in the Classroom, Julie Jackson, Granite Board Member, responded, “Schools are joyful places. Our legislators work hard to allocate resources to our kids and set laws to help them be successful, but do not often get to see the fruits of their efforts! They can also look at how they can help with the challenges we are facing with things like attendance, school safety, and teacher burnout.”
The USBA Legislative Committee, Julie Jackson (Granite), Janis Christensen (Weber), Becky Dunn (Washington), James Winn (Emery), Tracy Miller (Jordan), and April Torgerson (Wayne), created USBA Lawmaker Day in the Classroom. The committee created an opportunity for lawmakers to experience the day-to-day reality of Utah’s elementary and secondary schools for a better understanding of what is working well for students and educators as well as the challenges they face. During their visits lawmakers will visit classrooms, talk with teachers and students, and experience the greatness of Utah’s public schools.
The Utah School Superintendents Association is happy to partner with USBA and is looking forward to hosting lawmakers. John Dodds, USSA President, stated, “We believe that this initiative will not only enhance the relationship between our schools and state government but also ensure that the voices of educators and students are heard and considered in the legislative process.”
“I hope that the USBA Lawmaker Day in the Classroom will allow our representatives to gain a new perspective. This is their chance to hear from teachers and aides directly, so they know what they need, not just what the lobbyists are telling them our schools need. I also hope they will see that rural schools are unique and that amazing things are being done to help our students succeed,” stated James Winn, Emery Board Member about his hopes for Lawmaker Day in the Classroom.
USBA Lawmaker Day in the Classroom is a wonderful way of building stronger relationships between educators and lawmakers. We need elected officials in our schools talking to principals, teachers and students to know how the decisions they make impact schools. USBA is excited that there is tremendous support for this event and knows that great progress will come from the event.