Utah State Superintendent Molly Hart, a former Canyons principal, outlines priorities on Connect Canyons podcast

Dr. Molly Hart, Utah state superintendent for public instruction, described her career in education and outlined priorities for the state in a Connect Canyons podcast interview with the Canyons School District.

Hart, who has worked in education for more than 25 years and served nine years on the Utah State Board of Education, said her top task is "to bring those voices together" and to keep "the success of students" as the North Star for policy and practice. She emphasized coordination among educators, legislators and community groups, caution about quickly adopting new tools such as artificial intelligence, and the agency’s responsibility to distribute school funding and student data accurately.

Hart told host that she began her career outside Utah and later moved to Utah after accepting a principal position in Canyons School District. She said her work at Mount Jordan Middle School and Albion Middle School involved facility redesign, arts and elective expansion, and intervention systems to support students who were struggling. She later worked with Utah Summit Academy, a K–12 charter with multiple Salt Lake County campuses, where she said the program added offerings such as esports and a German dual‑immersion program.

On priorities, Hart said alignment is both the opportunity and the challenge: when "people are not rowing in the same direction, the boat goes nowhere." She told the host that state leaders should focus on what students need to be able to do and then evaluate tools and policies against that standard, rather than jumping on every new trend. On artificial intelligence, she said educators must "be very careful and intentional about jumping on any sort of bandwagon" and assess which elements help students and which may be harmful.

Hart also described the role of the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and the superintendent’s office. "The agency is the agency that distributes all funding for schools," she said, adding that whether federal or state funding, it comes through USBE and the office has a duty to distribute funds "fairly and accurately." She said USBE also collects and shares student data with legislators, communities and agency staff so that "good decisions can be made by all parties."

Hart spoke about leadership style and decision making: she called for listening to multiple perspectives — classroom teachers, superintendents, parents and employers — and for transparency about plans and next steps. She said her experience as a teacher and principal informs her work but cautioned that "the minute you leave the classroom, you are obsolete," stressing the need to stay connected to current classroom practice.

Background details Hart provided in the interview include that she first entered Utah education in 2012 as a Canyons District principal at Mount Jordan Middle School, later served at Albion Middle School, spent time in the charter sector with Utah Summit Academy, and has been in the state superintendency since July 1 (year not specified in the interview). She also mentioned receiving Canyons District’s Apex Award as elected official of the year.

The interview closes with Hart reiterating her central mission: to bring multiple voices together and to keep the focus on Utah children as USBE implements board policy and interfaces with the legislature.

Connect Canyons published the episode on the district’s podcast feed; listeners are invited to find the episode on Canyons District channels and the district website.