Scott Matheson Jr., Democrat

1. What is the major issue facing Utah today and how would you deal with it?

Education is the most important issue facing Utah today; teaching our children is our most important stewardship. The future of our state is in their hands. The quality of their education is in ours. We can and we must do better for Utah's children and our state's future.

Education is the key to our children's life prospects. Education is the engine that drives our economy. Our goal is excellence. We will achieve it with quality teachers, parental involvement, innovation and choice in public schools, accountability, and realistic reforms. We will achieve it with sensible, long-range planning that makes education an even higher priority. We will achieve it together through a pledge to education. This challenge requires a total commitment from all of us, a commitment I will bring to the governor's office.

The task is great. Our teachers and students have performed well with far fewer resources than are devoted to education in other states. For years, Utah has invested less per student than any other state and has among the largest class sizes in the country. The future holds even more challenges, including a projected influx of 145,000 more students in the next ten years and the need for 1,175 additional teachers every year for the next 20 years. Meeting these challenges will require all Utah citizens to work together to keep our children's educational future bright.

Fifty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court declared in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) that " . . . education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments." In Utah, we always have agreed with that statement. We must reaffirm it. Indeed, the Utah Constitution requires the Legislature to " . . . provide for the establishment and maintenance of . . . a public education system, which shall be open to all children of the state." We have a good system with very dedicated educators. I look forward to working with them to make it even better.

The most important thing we can do to strengthen Utah's economy is to improve our education system. Economic development and quality education are inseparable. In fact, improving education and strengthening our economy are really two sides of the same coin.

To attract new businesses to Utah and to help our existing businesses grow, we must have a well-trained, well-educated work force. Without a first-class education system, our children will not be equipped for the demanding jobs of the 21st century. And if our children are not well-trained and well-educated, Utah will fail to attract desirable employers and high-paying jobs to our state.