This is not an endorsement.
For transparency, I am providing my answers to a survey from Utah Education Association (UEA) Political Action Committee so that my positions on these questions can be shared with constituents.
Q1: What is your name?
Greg Green
Q2: What is your Political Party?
Democrat
Q3: What are you running for?
House
Q4: What district are you running for?
44
Q5: Why are you running for the legislature?
My step into politics is based on where we as a community stand today. There are divisive legislation and social campaigns that are without empathy, that are breaking the networks in place for us to be informed, that are tearing at the fabric of our nation. There is an infiltration of local school boards, and the introduction of legislation in states that comes from national platforms that do not have our common interests in mind. There is disinformation in social media that is meant to be divisive, that tears on the intent and good will of society, with efforts to promote “strong-leader” fascists who would undermine our democratic systems. I’m stepping into politics because the “our” in our voice needs to be represented. I have enough shared experience and humility to know that I should listen and understand before I speak, and that my actions affect a community that I love and have much respect for.
Q6: What personal experiences have you had with neighborhood public schools and/or with charter schools? (Be as specific as possible.)
All three of our kids went through the public school system in Jordan District. We initially started at Challenger School for pre-school and kindergarten programs for our two eldest children, but moved to Jordan District schools for the remainder of their K-12 education. Natalie attended pre-school in Bluffdale Elementary early intervention program, before attending kindergarten in a mainstream class at Welby. She began special education classes at Terra Linda when the district began revising cluster programs, then moved to South Jordan Elementary when the district did more shuffling for its special education classes. All of our kids attended Elk Ridge Middle School. All of our kids attended Bingham High School with two graduating from that school. Our daughter Natalie moved to RSL Academy High School for grades 11-12 because their teacher/student ratio and special needs classroom support was better for her.
Some of the personal involvement I have had at or on behalf of public schools:
- Letters written, and attendance at school board, district, or state USBE meetings setting policy or addressing critical issues
- Participation in groups like “We All Belong Utah – All Abilities, All Schools”
- In-school volunteering, past mentor/counselor for the South Jordan Youth Council
- Sponsored and participated in school supply drives at work, participated in school supply drives in the community
- Participation during Junior Achievement Career Days by speaking to, or bringing my daughter (Special Olympics Global Ambassador) to speak to Special Education classes on personal story and transition for students with disabilities. Special Education is typically not engaged in Junior Achievement Career Day programs
- Supporting my daughter Natalie as a Special Olympics Utah Global Ambassador and Special Olympics US Youth Ambassador for Unified Champion Schools.
- Recognition for teachers during teacher’s week in the school year
- We funded two special education scholarships through Jordan Education Foundation in memory of Cindy Chavez, a para-educator for our daughter who passed away.
- Invitations and outreach to teachers/classes/teams to attend Best Buddies Friendship Walks, Special Olympics events
- Sponsoring “Spread the Word: Inclusion” campaigns at Jordan District Schools
Q7: What is your view on the rights of public employees regarding collective bargaining, payroll deduction of dues and other association issues?
I support the right to organize, and to establish collective bargaining.
Q8: What is your position on private school vouchers and voucher-like programs (tuition tax credits, backpack funding, education savings accounts and/or scholarships)?
I am against school vouchers, or any other form of redirecting funds away from public schools. As an example, Senator Lincoln Fillmore and Candice Pierucci have submitted SB44 “ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP COMBINATION” that diverts funds from public schools to home-school or private schools.
Q9: What ideas do you have related to creating a sustainable increase in revenue to invest in public education funding?
In 2024 I think the first issue is to look at proposals to do away with income tax, which would disproportionally shift the burden of taxes to property and sales taxes. Utah’s Constitution requires income tax revenues to only be used for public and higher education and some social services for disabled residents, so the question is how and where funding would continue to be sourced for education. I would support higher earmarking for education funding. Regarding classroom resources and teacher retention, I think this needs to be addressed in legislation AND in campaigns to defend our public education system and challenge the rhetoric of conservatives that disrupt and dismantle education standards, funding, and outcomes of our public school system. On a side note, it would be interesting if the proposed 2024 bill from Rep. Kera Birkeland on a constitutional amendment to legalize lotteries in Utah could become a source of funding for education in Utah. I am really interested in seeing this legislation introduced (it has not yet been submitted effective Jan 14, 2024).
Q10: What can be done to encourage our best and brightest to enter the teaching profession? How can we assure that every student has a qualified teacher in their classroom? What should be the role of the legislature?
The short answer here is that we need to pay teachers and get out of their way. Pay is poor, school funding is poor, and the politicization of educational roles makes work environs unattractive. Demographically Utah has some of the youngest counties in the nation (https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2023/06/26/utah-young-us-median-age-county-cache), so it’s not appropriate by any means that our state spends so little, with Utah spending the LAST per pupil in the nation. Education funding is constantly under attack. We need to tackle the rhetoric in the legislature and work with the Governor’s office to grow funding, but we also need to remove politics from Education Boards, and return curriculums and text books back to educators.
Q11: The UEA believes that teachers and their professional association should be a partner with policymakers in making decisions affecting children and public education. What role do you envision for the UEA in advancing public education?
- Organize. I have been approached by Utah Parents for Teachers, Utah Education Association PAC and Black Lives Matter Utah Chapter with surveys about education in Utah. All of the surveys had similar questions.
- Push for accountability. We need to change the USBE Board of Director positions to non-partisan/apolitical positions, and legislate explicit direction for recall of USBE board positions when persons are materially working against interests of a free public education.
- Be a part of defending freedoms. Assist in writing responses (bills, social media, legal challenges) for attacks on diversity and inclusion, or book-banning, or discrimination, or against re-writing history.
- Support broad implementation of SEL programs at schools.
Q12: Some legislators have worked to increase legislative oversight of academic course standards, curriculum, classroom materials, books and other instructional resources. Is this an appropriate role for the legislature or should these decisions be made by the State Board of education and local school boards?
I said this previously, but we need to remove politics from Education Boards, and return curriculums and text books back to educators. Legislators are (generally) not academics. In the current year, I am also concerned that we have a highly political and dysfunctional State Board of Education.
Q13: What do the terms diversity, equity, and inclusion mean in the classroom setting?
To borrow words from Nikki Walker, “DEI is an idea and a space to make people who have been traditionally under-represented.
- Diversity exists everywhere, but when it is not recognized or nurtured it can become a place of division.
- Equity is a choice. We need to understand what equity looks like to people and our community.
- Inclusion is the space where people feel their ideas and selves are worthy, and respected, and included.”
DEI programs are more than IDEA and 504 accommodations. It is the conscious awareness and practice to make sure our institutions work for everyone. It’s about who you are, not how well you try to fit within a dominant culture.
There is broadly an attack against diversity and equity in our public schools. I’m fighting against the USBE attempt to repeal of Educational Equity Rule – R277-328 (we won by only 1 vote this week, see my letter at https://utah44.com/letter-vote-against-repeal-of-educational-equity-rule-r277-328/), and also against the UT GOP RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF REPEALING R277-328 AND ALL CRT PRAXIS IN UTAH SCHOOLS (https://utgop.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Oct-28-2023-Resolution-in-Support-of-Repealing-R277-328-and-All-CRT-PRAXIS-in-Utah-Schools.docx.pdf).