As Utah County Democrats we believe that education is our greatest investment in the future, and that strengthening our long standing commitment to public education as the foundation of a democratic republic is a fundamental value. We deplore Utah's ranking as the lowest in per pupil spending and the highest in students per teacher in the nation. We stand for strengthening our public schools through adequate funding to allow for smaller class sizes, higher salaries to better attract and retain qualified teachers, and better equipped facilities to provide a world-class education for every student. We also call for sufficient resources for higher education, that our colleges and universities may fulfill their roles in preparing our young people to take their place in society and to contribute to our state's economic development. We believe that the educational system should receive priority consideration in the allocation of any state tax surplus.

We believe in local control of our public schools. We oppose the unfunded, top-down model of No Child Left Behind and call for the development of local working partnerships between educators and parents to help every student develop the academic, reasoning, and social skills required by our global economy and society. We believe that bold and innovative solutions to the problems of education in our state are within reach through seeking broad community involvement in developing our most precious resource, our children.