Among the qualities that define Utahns is a devotion to family — which is manifest in our average household size and the share of our population under 18, both the largest in the U.S. Another quality is Utahns’ strong sense of civic pride.
So it’s not surprising that when people are reminded that our K-12 education spending per pupil is the lowest in the nation, a lot of folks get up in arms over it. Major efforts are now afoot in both civic circles and the Legislature to increase funding for teacher pay and public schools in general.