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Voices: The Utah Fits All scholarship helps my homeschooled children — and other Utah students — get the education they need

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Voices: The Utah Fits All scholarship helps my homeschooled children — and other Utah students — get the education they need


My mornings buzz with activity, but it isn’t the rush of getting children out the door to school, because my children’s education takes place at home. I have chosen to be the primary educator of my children, who range from kindergarten to seventh grade, and my liberal arts bachelor’s degree prepared me well. Giving my children individualized attention fills the morning, as I bounce between explaining math concepts to one child and providing feedback on a writing assignment with another. Other days start with scientific experiments, forest school group, world history, language study, music and art, while afternoons are spent reading and pursuing extracurricular activities. Every day I join Utah teachers in the important quest of educating children, and I do so without monetary compensation.

Last year, Utah implemented an education voucher program called the Utah Fits All scholarship (UFA). The UFA scholarship allows eligible students to receive state funding to further their education. These funds may go towards private school tuition, hybrid programs or home-schooling. Students are reimbursed for approved educational expenses and a state selected program administrator, who is charged with implementing the program, closely reviews all expenditures. To remain eligible for funding, students are required to either complete standardized testing or submit a portfolio outlining how scholarship funds have furthered their education.

Though Utahns may disagree about the details of educational methods and policies, I believe we are united in wanting educated citizens who are intellectually engaged, emotionally and socially mature and prepared to contribute to society in positive ways. With the broad range of learning styles, family resources and health limitations or disabilities, it follows that there is not an effective, one-size fits all model of educating children. In order for every student to thrive, they need an educational method that fits and the funding flexible enough to foster it.

Quality education requires time and resources. In some cases, we provide these for our children through actual expenditures, while in others, we offer them by forgoing opportunities, resulting in “opportunity costs.” I forgo the equivalent of a teacher’s salary in order to teach my children at home. This cost is worthwhile to me, as it provides my students an educational environment they thrive in, but it is still a cost to my family.

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While we tend to view education as what happens in a school building during the day, other experiences and activities significantly contribute to children’s intellectual, social and physical education. UFA scholarship funds make it so that we don’t also need to spend our single household income on education materials and experiences.

A public school uses government funds to pay for the facility, teachers, administrators, bus systems, janitor services, sports fields and property insurance. Those public school families can then use their own money to cover other aspects of their student’s educational costs including uniforms, extracurricular activities and school supplies. A homeschool family uses their own resources to cover facility costs, teacher salary, transportation and janitor services, while scholarship funds help to cover other educational expenses, including books, computers, curriculum and additional expenses that go directly to enhancing student education. My students do not benefit from the teachers, counselors, buses, educational programs and the new football field at the local high school. Likewise, a public school student won’t have access to my student’s bike or violin. This isn’t unfair or disproportionate, as some have complained. In each instance, public money is being tailored to the student’s needs and priorities.

Finally, even if someone opposes the existence of the UFA scholarship, they need to recognize that it saves taxpayer money. According to the Office of State Auditor, Utah public school students receive an average of $11,500 per student. For home educated students, a portion of these funds have been available via charter schools for years. If a full-time homeschool student participates in a charter school to access government funding, they only receive $1,800 of the public funding allotted to their student, according to Harmony Educational Services.

On average, students who utilize the UFA scholarship rather than the public or charter systems are using 30% less of the government’s money — $8,000 rather than the $11,500 average statewide spending per student. Thus, not only do UFA funds allow tailored education for each student’s needs, it also is cheaper for taxpayers than either public charter or traditional public schools.

Public school teachers and administrators should not oppose the UFA scholarship because public schools also benefit. The scholarship will improve classrooms by allowing advanced and struggling students to find a better educational fit. This will benefit public school teachers in some of the challenges they face, including in their classroom management with insufficient time and resources, as all students find their best learning environment. The education of our children is a collective endeavor, and we all win when our money is making the biggest impact by meeting every student’s educational needs.

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As this next legislative session kicks off, thank your legislators for doing a great job of prioritizing all Utah children, saving tax dollars and putting your hard-earned dollars to work in educating the next generation.

(Naomi Burton) Naomi Burton is a home educator and mother of seven children.

Naomi Burton is a home educator, mother of seven amazing children and a passionate advocate of those who don’t always speak up for themselves. She is a perpetual learner whose current interests include restoring her historic home, reading “Don Quixote” and learning Chopin’s “Fantaisie-Impromptu.”

The Salt Lake Tribune is committed to creating a space where Utahns can share ideas, perspectives and solutions that move our state forward. We rely on your insight to do this. Find out how to share your opinion here, and email us at voices@sltrib.com.



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Utah

The Red Rocks are surging

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The Red Rocks are surging


Before this season started, the Utah gymnastics team had pretty lofty ambitions for the 2025 season.

Sure, compete for and win a national championship was part of that — it always is — but the Red Rocks really wanted to start the season on fire.

They wanted to show from the get-go that they are one of the country’s best teams rather than wait until the postseason to prove their mettle like they had done in previous years.

That didn’t happen, though.

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Results

Team scores 

  • Utah, 197.675.
  • Arizona, 196.125

Event winners

  • All-around — Grace McCallum (Utah); 39.650.
  • Balance beam — Grace McCallum, Makenna Smith (Utah); 9.925.
  • Floor exercise — Makenna Smith, (Utah); 9.950.
  • Uneven bars — Ella Zirbes (Utah); 9.950.
  • Vault — Makenna Smith (Utah); 9.975.

Too much pressure — much of it self-imposed — rattled Utah to start the year. There were glimpses of the potential that the Red Rocks had — the reason they had high hopes in the first place — but inconsistency and performances below their peak capabilities were the norm through the first month of the season.

Against Florida and West Virginia last week, Utah started to make good on its potential, though. The Red Rocks lost to Florida but were right with the Gators to the very end.

Friday night in the Huntsman Center against Arizona — the second-best team in the Big 12 this season — Utah took things a step further.

The Red Rocks had arguably their best overall meet of the year in their 197.675 to 196.125 victory over the Wildcats. Utah got better and better on each event, culminating in a season-high score on floor (49.575).

Some particular highlights:

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  • Grace McCallum and Makenna Smith were elite in the all-around (each scored a 39.625 or better).
  • Ella Zirbes was in the All-American form she had displayed as a freshman last season — on uneven bars especially.
  • Seven different Red Rocks received at least one score of 9.90 or better.
  • Oh, and star freshman Avery Neff made her return from injury, competing successfully on bars not even a month removed from suffering “severe” sprains of both her ankles.

It was one of those nights — on the same night the program recognized its alumni and 50 years of the Red Rocks.

“Extremely proud of the team tonight,” Utah head coach Carly Dockendorf said. “It was really fun to have the arena full of fans and our alumni. It was a really special night.

“I felt like our team really did elevate, across the board. Whether the scores reflected it or not, I thought we made some really important changes. People stepped up in areas that we needed to step up. Again (we hit) 24 of 24 (routines). It just keeps showing the consistency of this team and their confidence. We really went out there tonight and decided we were going to make it happen. We were going to put something on the floor that we hadn’t done yet and I really think they did that.”

Added McCallum: “I feel like as a team we are making really good progress — slow and steady progress, and that is going to get us to the finish line where we need to be. I think this is a really good place for us to be at and I think everybody on the team should be very proud of themselves for the little things they’ve been improving on.”

Defining moment

After the first rotation Friday, Arizona and Utah were actually fairly close, separated by a little over a tenth of a point (0.125).

Utah’s vault rotation had had its good moments — Smith and McCallum, especially — but overall Utah had underwhelmed to start the meet.

That continued, at first, to bars. The first three routines of the rotation topped out at 9.825, with a pair of scores landing in the 9.7-range.

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That is when everything changed.

Starting with Amelie Morgan and then continuing with Zirbes and McCallum, Utah reeled off three consecutive routines that scored a 9.90 or better.

Morgan and McCallum’s performances were understandable. The pair of Tokyo Olympians have been stalwarts on bars throughout their Utah careers.

It was Zirbes, though, who was the best of the trio.

A second-team All-American on bars as a freshman last season, Zirbes has been battling performance anxiety this year, and her bars, while good plenty of times already this season, had never quite reached levels she had hit previously.

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Until Friday.

Zirbes was as good as she had ever been on the event at Utah, recording a new career-high score of 9.950.

From start to finish, Zirbes was in her element.

“To see Ella hit that bar routine, that is what she does in practice every single day,” Dockendorf said.

After Zirbes’ bar routine, Utah recorded eight scores of 9.90 or better. Before it, there were only three, and once the bars rotation was over, the meet was no longer in doubt.

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It was just a question of how much Utah was going to win by.

“It really took the entire team to do what we did tonight,” Dockendorf said. “Whether they were competing or their weren’t competing, everybody really brought their best.”

Zirbes, the MVP of the meet, especially

Needs work

Utah is one of the best teams in the country on balance beam again, and on Friday the lowest score — the one dropped — was a 9.800 from lead off Ana Padurariu.

The Red Rocks had struggled with floor to start the season, but against Arizona the team posted its best score of the year, buoyed by 9.90-plus performances from Smith, McCallum, Ashley Glynn and Jaylene Gilstrap.

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The lowest counted score on that event? A 9.875.

Bars, as previously mentioned, had its low points — landings were a big issue — but plenty of high points, too, and ended up being pretty normal for Utah when things were finished.

Vault, though, was the big area of worry.

Utah posted a 49.275, and that was with a 9.975 from Smith and a 9.90 from McCallum. Multiple vaults fell in the 9.7 and 9.8 range, far below the hopes for a Utah team that has six 10.0-valued vaults in the lineup.

On Friday night it was landings that proved the biggest challenge, as only Smith stuck her effort. McCallum took a slight step and the rest of the gymnasts in the lineup took major steps or multiple steps.

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Glynn has probably the best distance and amplitude on her vault of any current Red Rock but landings have been a struggle for her for a couple of weeks now.

Morgan, thrust into the lineup with Neff’s injury, has dealt with under or over rotation time and again. It was over rotation that plagued her against Arizona.

Zirbes and Winger had good overall efforts until it came to the landing, as both took major steps when they hit the mat.

Dockendorf has said that she doesn’t expect consistent sticks at this point in the season, and that she believes the quality of Utah’s vaults will show come the postseason, when it really matters.

But for now, Utah isn’t consistently performing on vault to the level that it needs to, and it didn’t against Arizona.

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That’s encouraging

There were numerous individual performances of note for Utah for one reason or another, but Neff’s return to action was chief among them.

Only a couple weeks ago Neff doubted whether or not she’d compete again this season, but there she was Friday night competing on bars.

She was, understandably, thrilled after.

“It was awesome,” Neff said. “Definitely beforehand I thought that my season was over, but I progressed fast and it was the best feeling to get out there and do what I love.”

Neff’s journey with rehab is an interesting one. She made quick progress immediately after the injury, but then she “kind of got stuck for a couple of days.”

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As she put it, at that point she lost hope.

“Nothing felt better,” Neff said. “… and Carly could see me in the gym and my mannerisms were kind of taking down the team, too, so that was a switch where I thought, “If I really want to get back, I have to change my mindset.’ The mind is such a powerful tool.”

Dockendorf noted that in talking with Neff, the freshman set a goal of wanting to come back in time for the Arizona meet.

“I could see she was struggling mentally a little bit,” Dockendorf said. “…and for someone who hasn’t really had to sit out due to injury, it is a really new space to be in.

“We just had a really great conversation and I asked ‘What is your goal?’ and she said ‘I want to compete on alumni night’ and I said, ‘Alright let’s do it.‘ It really was her desire and her motivation to be back out here.”

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Whether or not Neff makes it back on any other events this season is still a question, but she is back.

It wasn’t just Neff who stood out Friday though.

Smith continues to star on vault for Utah, and everywhere really. Her emergence this season has been especially vital for the Red Rocks’ success.

“She comes in every day and gives 100% in practice,” Dockendorf said. “She loves coming out here and is just her authentic self and I think that is one of the greatest things about her.”

Elizabeth Gantner is one of the gymnasts who stepped up in Neff’s absence, her role coming on beam, and she has only gotten better and better since she’s been in the lineup, culminating in a career-best 9.90 Friday night.

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“I think confidence is a part of it,” Dockendorf said. “I think she is believing in herself a lot more. She is putting in extra work on beam, on her dismount.

“That is kind of the one area that she still needs to improve her consistency on, her landing, but I think she is honestly enjoying being out there, too.”

After Friday night’s performance, it is probably safe to say that all the Red Rocks are feeling that way right now, and it has Utah looking more and more like the team that was anticipated before the season began.



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Where Utah stands on gender equity in politics

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Where Utah stands on gender equity in politics


SALT LAKE CITY — Politics has been a hot topic nationally and locally over the past few weeks. From daily updates on Utah’s Capitol Hill to executive orders in Washington D.C. A new study on women’s status in Utah politics sparked our interest, so we worked to find out more.

WalletHub recently ranked Utah as the 4th best state to live in. While the Beehive State scored above average on many metrics it lags in one area, gender equity. That includes the presence of women in elected positions.

The Utah State University Utah Women and Leadership Project (UWLP), began reporting on the status of women in politics in 2014, which updates in 2017, and yearly since 2021.

According to the UWLP, 16.7% of the Utah delegation to Congress is female. That is lower than the 28.4% of women in Congress nationally. In the state legislature, 29.8% of members are women. Nationally that number sits at 34.4%.

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FOX 13 News spoke with the founding director of the Utah Women and Leadership Project, Susan Madsen. She says that until men and women are represented in equal numbers important local issues will go unchanged. “We know there’s a big difference between men and women we know from the research that we care about certain policies in different ways our priorities are different so when you don’t have more equal numbers of men and women in the legislature in our Congress delegation and city councils whatever it might be you really do not represent the population the way it needs to be represented,” Madsen stated.

There are places where representation numbers are increasing in the state of Utah. Forty percent of Utah statewide executive office seats are held by women. Nationally that number is only 31.6%.

Women also hold the majority of elected positions of auditor, clerk, recorder, and treasurer. Three out of the four largest Utah cities also are represented by women as mayors.





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Utah poised to pass transgender rule on dorms

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Utah poised to pass transgender rule on dorms


For the fourth year in a row, the Utah Legislature appears about to pass another bill that targets the transgender community. 

A bill that would require transgender students at public universities to live in dorms corresponding with their sex at birth, sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Gricius, R-Eagle Mountain, passed Senate on Thursday. It faces just one more vote in the House before receiving final legislative approval. 

Opponents blasted HB269 for targeting the transgender community, creating potential litigation and legal concerns, and as government overreach. The bill easily passed the Senate 22-7 in a near party-line vote. 

During Wednesday’s debate of the bill, Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, criticized the Legislature for using a single case that “blew up on social media” to create new policy. 

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Riebe was referring to a viral social media post from the mother of a Utah State University student who complained to the school because her daughter was sharing a common space with a transgender resident assistant, who had been randomly assigned to live in the dorm.

“We hear one case blowing up social media, and we’re creating a law — a heavy-handed law — to change policy that’s worked for generations. If we don’t believe social media should be guiding our actions, then this is a bill that shouldn’t be guiding our actions,” Riebe said. “Our universities have done a fantastic job working to make sure every student’s as safe as they can, and I believe that this is overreach, and we should allow our universities to rectify these situations.” 

Republican Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, told lawmakers he was concerned that there were no protections for students who live in private housing when it acts as an extension of the universities.

“My concern is that there isn’t a remedy for those individuals that have that (random roommate) assignment,” he said. “Even though it’s private property … I would say 90% to 95% or more of those students all are university-based or at a state entity, and so, having no protections in there makes me a little bit concerned.”

Democrats bring up legal concerns

Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, brought up constitutional concerns surrounding the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, which requires states to treat people equally under the law.

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Escamilla questioned a provision in the bill that would still restrict a transgender person from living in a dorm of their choosing even if they have a birth certificate that has a changed gender marker and undergone surgery.

“If that person had already an amended birth certificate and has gone through that transition of surgery, how is that not an equal protection violation when that person does not match where you’re going to send them?”

Utah House passes bill changing university housing policies for transgender students

Sen. Brady Brammer, R-Pleasant Grove, answered and said he didn’t know if it was appropriate to do a legal analysis on the bill.

“I would say that it is overall from a legislative standpoint, it is not an equal protection violation, because the designation between male and female has been upheld in court in almost every circumstance, and it is not tied to the genitalia of the person, it is tied to their genetic makeup at the time of birth,” Brammer said.

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Escamilla said when someone has gone through the defined legal process of fully transitioning, including surgery and changing the gender marker on their birth certificate, the genetic piece is not clear.

“The impact is so big,” she said. “I do believe there may be an equal protection piece because otherwise, you’re looking at these individuals who have gone through transition … why wouldn’t they not be then seen as that complete person that they are under that new place?”

Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, was the only Republican to vote against the bill alongside Democrats. He cited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that states gender necessarily includes gender identity, and therefore any infringement that would be prohibited on gender is also prohibited on gender identity.

In a 6-3 decision in 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County that firing people for their sexual orientation or gender identity is sex discrimination, which is prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“It is my belief that just like many of the other bills that we have passed that infringed on gender identity, this will also be unconstitutional,” Thatcher said. “But the damage isn’t necessarily the bills that we pass. It’s the messages that we send, and sometimes we pass bills because they are messages.”

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Brammer, in his summation, addressed Thatcher’s concern.

“That was a very narrow decision that was limited only to Title VII employment situations,” he said. “I’ve read the case. It’s not applicable to these situations in any way, and (the justices) were very careful to make sure that it was not, and to a large extent, that’s why the Supreme Court has taken up very similar cases in the sense of transgender surgeries that they’ll be deciding in June.”

The Supreme Court is expected to rule this summer on United States v. Skrmetti, a case about medical treatment for transgender children. Utah banned gender-affirming care for minors in 2023.

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As the bill was discussed again on Thursday, Sen. Jen Plumb, D-Salt Lake City, said the last several years of legislation targeted toward transgender individuals have made that community feel isolated.

“It does break my heart on some degree, that every year for the last four years, we have had very targeted legislation toward them,” she said. “They will never be legislated out of existence. They will be adored, loved and treasured by some of us for the rest of all of our lives.”

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