State GOP delegates snub most state school board incumbents; board chair eliminated from primary

Delegates to the Utah Republican Party nominating convention snubbed several incumbents on the state school board Saturday. None of them garnered majority votes in their respective races.

Utah State Board of Education chairman Jim Moss was defeated by District 12 challenger Cole Kelley. Kelley, a self-described “common sense educator,” won 74% of the delegate vote in the board district, eliminating Moss from the primary race.

Moss opted not to collect signatures, noting the high cost of the services.

“I was surprised, disappointed but I kind of felt it was going to go that way. So, I accept it and move on,” said Moss, who is an attorney.

A three-way race for District 12 now held by Matt Hymas went to two rounds of voting, with former Tooele school board member Camille Knudson eliminated after the first vote at the convention held at the Salt Palace. Knudson collected signatures but was 10 signatures short of the required threshold.

Challenger Monica Wilbur edged Hymas by 52.2% to 47.8%, which means both will advance to the primary election.

Hymas said two things distinguished him from his opponents, being on the front line of education as an educator, administrator, coach and superintendent of a charter school.

“All these experiences have given me a perspective unmatched by any other candidate in this race,” he said.

Second, during his board service “we have seen many conservative changes to policy, rules and guidance,” such as the removal of pornographic books and materials from school libraries and elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion trainings, including implicit bias and racial privilege. “I’ve seen the protection of sex designated spaces in our schools so that your daughter doesn’t have to worry about walking into her restroom or locker room.”

Wilbur took issue with Hymas’ actions as a board member, although she didn’t refer to him by name.

“It is not OK that our current board member has voted time and time again for divisive, intrusive programs at schools that stereotype kids and collect highly personal social emotional information about them instead of strengthening their minds with foundational academics,” Wilbur said.

Moreover, as a constituent and taxpayer, “it is not OK with me that the current board member ignored or used empty words to address concerns that I and other like-minded parents took the time to research and thoughtfully present to the board over the past 2 ½ years,” Wilbur said.

It was a closely watched race with several high-profile and powerful Utahns contributing to Hymas’ campaign, among them state school board vice chairwoman Jennie Earl and executive and philanthropist Gail Miller.

Natalie Cline-supported candidate advances

One of Wilbur’s primary supporters is disgraced District 9 state school board member Natalie Cline, who was voted off the primary ballot by Salt Lake County GOP delegates earlier this month.

Wilbur has been a staunch defender of Cline, who earlier this year posted a photo of a girls high school basketball player that implied the student is transgender. Her conduct resulted in censure by both the state school board and the Utah Legislature, a sanction state lawmakers said was unprecedented.

Cline turned out in support of Wilbur at Saturday’s convention, holding one of Wilbur’s campaign signs outside the meeting room where the delegates’ vote was conducted. Wilbur worked Cline’s booth at the Salt Lake County GOP nominating convention earlier this month.

Despite numerous calls for Cline’s resignation and censure votes by both the Utah Legislature and the Utah State Board of Education after she posted a photo of a high school basketball player on social media that implied the student is transgender, she elected to remain in the race.

Incumbent Brent Strate, running to return to the District 3 seat, was defeated by Rod Hall, a youth pastor, who received 75% of the delegate vote. Strate, a retired teacher, obtained a sufficient number of valid signatures to advance to the primary ballot. He is serving his first term on the board.

In the District 15 race, incumbent Kristan Norton received just 15.8% of the delegate vote, compared to challenger Joann Brinton, who received 84.72% of the vote. Both have worked as educators.

Norton, serving her first term on the board, also secured enough signatures to appear on the primary ballot.

Prior to 2020, all seeking election to the state school board ran as unaffiliated candidates.

In 2016, the Utah Legislature passed a statute that called for partisan state school board races. The statute was challenged in court and in 2017, a 3rd District Court judge ruled that the law conflicted with the Utah Constitution. That ruling was appealed to the Utah Supreme Court, where it was overturned in 2019, which paved the way for candidates to file as partisan candidates. They also may run as unaffiliated candidates.