Elementary Class Size Cap (SB31) Passes Committee Against My Recommendation

Sen. Karen Morgan (D) is sponsoring SB31 that will cost Utah Taxpayers $17 million per year. It will impose a maximum class size on all Kindergarten through 3rd grade classes throughout the whole state. It is an affront to local control of schools in each district. Local districts know best where they can use $17 million to improve education. It is a well accepted principle that quality of teaching is a much more important factor in the quality of learning than class size. Tell your legislators how you wish them to vote on this bill. 

I testified in the Senate Education committee against SB31.
1. Class size is easily measurable, but teacher quality has more influence on how well students learn.
2. This bill would take control of education funding away from local school districts and force them to spend set amounts on class size reduction.
3. If this were to pass, funding would be attached to it for now. But in future years of funding shortfall, low funding would not remove the class size limits. Districts would become caught with an unfunded mandate.
4. We will very likely find new technology in the near future which will allow us to teach more children more effectively with fewer teachers. This bill would force us to have set class sizes in spite of the benefits of new technology.

Every senator attending the committee meeting voted in favor of SB31. Those voting included Sen. Osmond, Sen. Thatcher, Sen. Stephenson, Sen. Morgan, and Sen. Stevenson.