Cox-Henderson Conservative Plan for Education Reforms

Statement

As I said in the debate last week, "If I have to tear these fine gentlemen down to be your next governor, then I don't deserve to be your next governor."

But that doesn't mean I won't stand up for what I believe in or that I'll stand by while others knowingly distort my record, including recent attacks on my views on education.

I hope you will take this opportunity to better understand my thoughts on education directly from me, not my opponents.

Prioritize Education: Utah is in the midst of a drastic teacher shortage that must be addressed. If we get education right, Utah will prosper. If we don't get education right, we will never truly solve the challenges facing our state.

Repeal Burdensome Regulation: While additional compensation is important, we must restore the joy of teaching. I oppose heavy-handed mandates from the federal and state government. Utah emerged from the Great Recession by empowering entrepreneurs and eliminating regulations. The same formula will unleash educational excellence. As Governor, I will push to repeal all high-stakes testing and reform the manner in which we evaluate our schools.

Teacher Performance: We must pay good teachers more. It's the most cost-effective investment we can make as a state, as research shows a high-quality teacher does more to improve student performance than any other school-based factor. This means we should also provide local administrators the tools to reduce the number of poor performing teachers in our state. I'm willing to increase our investment in educators to recruit and retain high-quality professionals.

School Buildings: It's time to spend less on school buildings. Local districts ought to have two or three different types of buildings and allow local stakeholders to select which best meet their needs. Large organizations in our state design and build their meeting places this way, and it's served them well for many years.

Technical Education: Not every student needs a college degree. Trade professions are desperate for skilled labor. Instead of asking students to take on an exorbitant amount of debt, let's improve the options available to them.

This is a conservative reform agenda for Utah schools that has the support of Utah teachers and Republican state delegates, as evidenced by our decisive win in April's nominating convention.

My running mate, Senator Deidre Henderson, and I are proven conservative leaders not just in education, but across the board. We both have an A rating from the NRA. We are unapologetically pro-life. And we will work together with the President and his administration. Those are the facts. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.
Cox Henderson Education Reform

Voters deserve to hear accurate information, not just distorted slanders from opponents and shadowy groups behind them. I promised to run my campaign on openness and transparency -- by promoting my policies and not tearing down my opponents.

As your governor I will lead with the same integrity and respect.

Spencer

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