While Curtis says he favors direct elections of State School Board members, he said he doesn't see the need to make those elections partisan — where a Republican would run against a Democrat in each of the 15 districts. But some leading GOP legislators are already saying they want partisan school board members — a change the Legislature can make without a constitutional amendment.

"The election could be like mayor of Salt Lake City. Each (board) district is about the same size as the city," said Curtis. Mayors are picked in a non-partisan manner, and school board members could be as well.

But other GOP lawmakers have already said they want to move to partisan mayoral elections, as well, especially in large Utah cities, claiming candidates are already running under party labels.

Curtis said he personally is not over-concerned about the State School Board governance status. "When we pass a clear law, the state board should follow it. But (it should) also be followed by everyone, including legislators," said Curtis.

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