"Reform" in Utah Pits Privatization against Unions

In Utah, the Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action events focused on all that — but also actions by lawmakers and school board members that have grabbed headlines in recent weeks.

A crowd of about 50 people gathered at the Salt Lake City Main Library Friday to rally around elected leaders and activists who talked about taking back schools from politicians and corporate interests. The group then marched to the nearby State Office of Education.

They also used the event to rail against the Ogden School Board’s decision to ask teachers to sign a take-it-or-leave it contract. And several condemned state lawmakers’ decision to study whether to eliminate collective bargaining for certain public employees and whether to implement tuition tax credits.

At a teach-in earlier on Friday, Rep. Carol Spackman Moss urged teachers and parents to take a more active role in improving education and fighting harmful reform.