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Canyons administration reviews 2025 legislative session; cosmetology statute and curriculum bills highlighted
Summary
District staff summarized the 2025 legislative session, noting 962 bills introduced statewide, 582 enacted, and a successful effort to add statutory authority allowing school-run cosmetology programs if the governor signs the measure. Staff also flagged several curriculum bills and unmet priorities such as chronic absenteeism and AI-in-education.
District staff delivered the final 2025 legislative update at the March 18 Canyons Board of Education meeting, reviewing the session’s scale, bills the district supported or opposed, and items that could affect district budget and operations.
Charlie Evans, director of external and leasing, and Susan Edwards, public engagement, told the board that the legislature introduced 962 bills this year, of which roughly 582 were enacted. Staff highlighted a cosmetology bill that passed the legislature and — once signed by the governor — will add statutory authority for school-run cosmetology programs; staff credited Susan Edwards and Canyons CTE staff with negotiating language to preserve the district’s program. "Before this bill passed, there was no statutory authority for us to be running a cosmetology program in our schools," Edwards said.
The presenters said many curriculum-related bills were introduced, some of which started out prescriptive but were revised to permissive language. Staff described work to reduce mandates’ prescriptiveness so schools retain local control. They also noted bills they opposed that failed, and bills they supported that did not pass, including measures addressing chronic absenteeism and some proposals concerning artificial intelligence in education. Several board members praised the district’s legislative relationships and singled out legislators who had helped the district on specific bills, while noting leadership absences can affect voting records.
Administrators warned that multiple passed bills will have ongoing fiscal or compliance impacts and asked the board to allow staff time to review those measures and recommend operational changes. They proposed drafting a letter to the governor and the local legislative delegation summarizing the session’s financial impact on Canyons schools, a step some board members supported as a way to clarify to legislators how specific bills and unfunded mandates affect local budgets.
No board vote was required on the legislative summary; staff asked the board for guidance on outreach and next steps for implementation planning and potential communication to the legislature.
