Republican incumbent Utah State Board of Education member Matt Hymas is facing off against Democrat Deborah Gatrell for District 10. The winner of November’s general election will represent the most of Tooele County.
Hymas advanced to the general election after defeating GOP opponent Monica Wilbur in the June primary with nearly 52% of the vote.
Hymas initially ran for office in 2020, representing what was then District 3. The area was changed to District 10 after a statewide redistricting initiative in 2021.
Hymas is the executive director at Excelsior Academy, a charter school in Erda. He has served in various educational roles since 2008.
Gatrell is a longtime teacher and served for over 20 years in the Utah Army National Guard, where she was trained as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot.
To better understand the candidates’ positions on issues readers told The Salt Lake Tribune were important in this general election, a reporter reached out to Gatrell and Hymas with the same set of questions, on topics from the now-voided income tax amendment to book bans.
The questions and their answers that appear below — with the candidates listed in alphabetical order — may have been edited slightly for length, style or grammar.
Amendment A is now void. But as written, it would have removed the current constitutional requirement that Utah’s income tax revenue be used only for 1) public education, 2) services for children and 3) people with disabilities, allowing lawmakers to direct some of those funds toward a broader range of “state needs.”
Do you support removing that constitutional spending restriction? (Yes or no).
Gatrell: No.
Hymas: No.
In 100 words or less, please explain why you do or do not support removing that constitutional spending restriction.
Gatrell: The Legislature’s spending on Utah students is too low. Unfunded and underfunded mandates in more than 100 education-related bills each year are crushing local districts and forcing them to raise property taxes to cover the gap. In 2015, the district contribution to the Basic School Program was 12%, and now it is 24%. Homeowners, especially those on fixed incomes, are being directly harmed by the Legislature’s actions. Opening the income tax to other priorities makes this all worse. They are not meeting their constitutional duty for the “maintenance” of Utah public schools, so I do not trust them right now.
Hymas: I recognize that the Legislature has historically placed the majority of Utah’s budget into public education. I believe that regardless of the final vote, legislators will continue to fund public education as needed. However, having an earmark safeguards public education money, which will continue prioritization. Removing the Utah constitutional spending restriction jeopardizes that priority requirement and legislators are left looking for funding sources in different areas to fund what was already funded. I prioritize ensuring sufficient funding for our public education system. I also emphasize the need to use resources wisely before considering funding changes, especially ones of this magnitude.
This year, 13 books were banned from all Utah public schools under a new law requiring a book’s statewide removal if at least three school districts (or at least two school districts and five charter schools) determine it amounts to “objective sensitive material.”
The law grants USBE members the opportunity to overturn statewide bans if at least three members move to hold a vote.
If elected, would you exercise this option for future bans? If so, under what circumstances? Please explain in 100 words or less.
Gatrell: YES. Let’s be clear — no educator wants pornography in public schools. There should be conversations about what is school- and age-appropriate under local policy, but the Legislature’s approach is a sledgehammer where a scalpel is needed. As a child of the Cold War, I know firsthand the fear of totalitarian states that control what people can read. We should be terrified that Utah’s Legislature created an “Index of Prohibited Books,” stripping power from local boards and local parents. I will advocate to restore this power every time a constituent or local board indicates differences of opinion about any book.
Hymas: Circumstances would dictate whether or not I personally brought forth a banned book for review. As a current member of the State Board of Education, I have not and I will not exercise this option for any of the books that I have seen banned from school libraries thus far.
Do you support the use of state-funded vouchers to cover private school tuition and homeschooling expenses in Utah? (Yes or no)
Gatrell: No.
Hymas: Yes-ish.
In 100 words or less, please explain why you do or do not support the use of state-funded vouchers to cover private school tuition and homeschooling expenses in Utah.
Gatrell: I support parent choice, but vouchers without means-testing will blow a giant hole in the state budget — we shouldn’t use tax dollars to subsidize wealthy families already utilizing private schools. Without meaningful accountability, we will see significantly worse outcomes for students who end up in subprime private programs, as high-performing programs like Waterford will not accept vouchers. This is “school’s choice,” not school choice. Finally, public money requires public accountability. Reports that voucher money is being spent on trampolines and private lessons the rest of us pay for out of pocket indicates a blatant shameless lack of fiscal responsibility.
Hymas: I support school choice for Utah families. I recognize that public education does not meet the needs of every child, yet my hope is to see every child educated. I support the Utah Legislature in financially helping those families who have not found success in public education to find additional options. I will conclude that I hope that the Legislature provides better clarity on how these funds can be used, as there have been many that have abused this program.
