State board declines letter asserting intent to manage federal education funds

The Utah State Board of Education voted on April 3, 2025 to reject a letter of intent that would signal the state's interest in managing certain federal education funds, including Title I and special education dollars.

The board first defeated a substitute draft dated 04/02/2025, with two members voting in favor (Member Boggess and Member Greene) and the motion failing. The board then considered the original intent letter dated 04/03/2025, moved by Member Jenny Earl, which failed on a 10-4 vote. Members Carrie, Hall, Kelly and Earl voted in favor of distributing the April 3 letter.

The letter of intent urged the federal government to allow states to manage funds locally; Member Jenny Earl, who moved the April 3 motion, said the letter was intended to signal that "we are interested in having the resources and the funds stay within the state of Utah" and that the state has the "expertise" to administer those dollars. Earl told the board the intent letter was not a commitment to change existing protections but a statement of capacity: "We're asking that that funding remain in the state and that we are able to use that funding for the purposes of providing for our…