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Superintendent says state board rejected proposed anti‑DEI resolution after student appeals; highlights Utah test gains
Summary
Superintendent Wendy Dow told the Provo City School Board on April 15 that the Utah State Board of Education voted down an anti‑DEI resolution after students and school leaders raised concerns, and she cited statewide academic rankings and post‑pandemic performance data.
Superintendent Wendy Dow told the Provo City School Board on April 15 that she had been concerned by draft language in a State Board of Education proposal described in the meeting as an "anti DEI resolution," and that students and school leaders contacted state board members with concerns.
Dow said she received "heartwarming" emails from students at Timpview and Provo High who described the importance of multicultural programs such as Latinos in Action and Peoples of the Pacific. She said the State Board of Education ultimately voted down the proposed resolution.
Dow framed the outcome as protecting programs and student groups that provide cultural and extracurricular support. "None of this is about excluding," she told the board, saying school communities aim to create spaces for connection across activities including band, accelerated math and multicultural groups.
Dow also highlighted statewide academic measures during her report. She said Utah ranks first among states in the percentage of students meeting each ACT college‑readiness benchmark and has the highest statewide composite ACT score. She said Utah was the second‑highest state on the international PISA comparison referenced at the conference, and she said Utah had the smallest post‑pandemic mathematics decline of any state.
On graduation and national assessments, Dow said statewide graduation was "almost 89 percent," and that seven of nine student groups improved their graduation rates from 2023. She cited 2024 NAEP results, saying Utah ranked third in fourth‑grade math, second in eighth‑grade math, third in fourth‑grade reading and fourth in eighth‑grade reading.
Dow cautioned that strong state rankings do not eliminate work to raise achievement for students still below grade level, and she urged celebration of educators’ work while continuing to press for funding and targeted interventions.
The superintendent’s remarks were made during the board’s regular business meeting and were framed as context for district priorities and communications with state officials.
