House panel advances bill to bar school governance agreements used in Salt Lake City district

Rep. Suzanne Peterson, sponsor of House Bill 545, told the House Education Committee the measure responds to two legislative performance audits of the Salt Lake City School District and ongoing concerns about that district’s shared governance agreement.

"There was a follow-up audit related to this issue," Rep. Peterson said, noting audits from 2022 and 2024 and adding that the bill is intended to address the district’s shared governance model. "It just says basically that a school district may not enter into or renew an agreement with a private association that delegates their decision making authority or governance, and that they can't delegate decision making authority or governance to a council or committee at a school."

The bill targets the district’s written agreements with its teachers’ association that create school…