UTAH STATE CAPITOL—Members of the Utah PTA held a press conference at the Capitol on Wednesday to urge lawmakers to fully and equitably fund public education. Legislators have told K-12 schools to prepare for a possible 5% budget cut. 

“It was really disheartening to hear that it’s already been decided that 5% needs to be cut in the budget,” said Utah PTA President Julie Cluff. “The education community hadn’t been asked and that’s hard. We love our kids. Everybody loves their kids. We want a seat at the table.”

There is a big disconnect between parents, education stakeholders and the legislature, she said. “It seems like things are being decided without getting all of those partners to make those decisions. Our goal is to let them know we want to work together.”

Parents want to be involved, said Cluff. “We also want to invest in our learning and education which are our teachers.”

Utah PTA Advocacy Vice President Angelee Aedo read the statement on Full Funding for Public Education.

“Utah PTA advocates for the education, health, and well-being of every child and believes a strong system of public education is essential to the success of our students, families, and communities. PTA strongly supports full and equitable funding for public education and calls on state leaders to demonstrate good-faith collaboration with public education professionals to ensure the success and well-being of all children – both now and in the future,” the statement said in part.

“Public schools serve more than 90% of the students in our state…funding decisions must prioritize the students and families who rely on public schools every day and ensure that educators have the resources necessary to provide safe, inclusive, and high-quality learning environments. Any cuts to arts programs, mental health services, or other critical student supports are unacceptable and undermine the success and well-being of Utah students.”

The PTA also wants the legislature to fully fund public education before diverting public dollars to special-interest voucher programs. “The Utah Fits All Scholarship does not have accountability and it takes public dollars away from our schools and it just goes to whatever. So we’re adamantly opposed to it.”

Cluff said they believe in parents’ rights. “We want parents to be engaged. So often parents don’t engage until they’re not happy with something. Be engaged, go to parent teacher conferences even if your kid gets straight A’s.”

Be involved, she said. “Be a partner in your school. Know what’s going on.”

The legislature heard S.C.R. 8 on Wednesday, which is a concurrent resolution honoring the 100th anniversary of the Utah Parent Teacher Association (PTA).

“I think we have a lot of legislators with an education background who understand,” said Cluff. “They understand the education world. That’s us. Those are our people and we love our teachers and we want to support them as well.”