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Utah State Board of Education chair previews legislative session, announces incoming AG Laura Cooper
Summary
At a board meeting the chair said the board is preparing legislative and funding requests for the next session and introduced Laura Cooper, an attorney who will meet the board tomorrow and is expected to start May 18; staff emphasized aligning funding asks with revenue sources.
The Utah State Board of Education chair told members during the board's meeting that the board is already preparing requests for the next legislative session and cautioned that finance requests should be tied to realistic funding sources.
The chair said members should expect legislators to press for issues this year and reminded the board that law and licensing will review statutory-change requests while finance will vet funding proposals. "We're already looking at next legislative session," the chair said, adding that the board should not submit funding requests without identifying where the money will come from.
Why it matters: legislative requests can shape the board's authority and school funding priorities. The chair noted an attorney general's (AG) office letter that the board has reviewed and thanked members for following guidance tied to that communication.
The chair also summarized recent outreach: a bill-signing event in Eden attended by Governor Cox and legislators, a BYU AMC8 mathematics recognition ceremony for students, and a Prevent Child Abuse event featuring Amy Winder Newton.
A board staff member, Angie, introduced a personnel item the chair deferred to staff and said the board will meet an incoming AG, Laura Cooper, tomorrow. "She's not officially on boarded yet, so I just would ask that all questions still be directed to me or my direct supervisors," Angie said. She described Cooper as having "25 plus years of experience as a litigator in civil and criminal cases," noted Cooper has worked as a public defender, has experience advising boards and city councils, and served as an elected city council member. Angie said Cooper will be present just before a USDB board meeting and "she'll be officially started on May 18th."
The chair thanked Vice Chair Wood and Deputy Newi for serving on the interview committee that met Cooper and closed his report.
The meeting proceeded to the next agenda item without a formal vote on the matters raised in the chair's report.
