The state's largest teachers union is kicking off its annual convention today with an educational campaign sure to turn political.

The 18,000-member Utah Education Association's campaign, "No Excuses! Invest in Public Schools," ultimately is aimed at pressuring legislators to put more state money into public schools. UEA leaders plan to pass out hundreds of lawn signs to conventiongoers and urge them to take the message to their communities.

The campaign is reminiscent of the "Utah Students Deserve More" campaign kicked off a few years ago with a 1,000-teacher march on Capitol Hill. But UEA Vice President Kimilee Campbell says it's a different tactic, one more centered on educating everyday people about the state's school investment through town hall meetings and grass-roots groups. While radio and TV ads are expected, walkouts and marches are not.

"We wanted to get that message out to the public and say, it's time to invest in our public schools. No excuses. It truly is an investment, not only in our children, which is very important, but an investment in our economic future," Campbell said. "For years, we've talked about warm fuzzy stuff. But this is (about) facts and data saying why investing in public schools is a good return on our tax dollars."

The two-day UEA convention — which results in a four-day weekend for Utah schoolchildren — is aimed at providing teachers with guest speakers and professional training courses that can be used for licensure requirements. This year's theme is "Proven Practices — Powerful Results."

But the event also is aimed at recharging teachers' batteries, renewing acquaintances, purchasing classroom software, books and supplies from vendors, and even opportunities to donate to hurricane victims.

Outstanding teachers will be honored at a banquet tonight. Friday's lineup includes several activities and tips to support rookie teachers, some of whom leave the profession in the first three years "because of salaries and working conditions," Campbell said.

The "No Excuses" campaign includes information presented in town meetings throughout the state last month during the association's annual road trip.

Among tidbits are: Utah's per-student spending has dropped from 75 percent to 62 percent of the national average since 1981; a smaller percentage of state tax dollars went going to K-12 education over the past year; less than one-third of new income tax revenue was put toward neighborhood schools this year.

"We're kind of taking our public schools for granted," Campbell said. "The real push is, in educating the public so the citizens understand how their tax dollars are spent . . . and getting people talking about it so they're holding their individual legislators accountable for investing in public education."

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