HB 170: Expanding Public Oversight of Local School Board Actions

Libertas Institute Staff
| 27th Jan 2026

To track the status of this bill, find it on our Legislation Tracker. Click here to contact the sponsor of the bill to share your thoughts, or click here to email your Senator and Representative about it.

Libertas Institute supports this bill

Staff review of this legislation finds that it aligns with our principles and should therefore be passed into law.

Local school boards make important decisions that affect families, taxpayers, and students across Utah. But when voters believe those decisions deserve a broader public say, especially on issues like taxes or major policy changes, the rules for how a community can respond haven’t always been clear or consistent.

House Bill 170 by Rep. Rex Shipp fixes that.

This bill clarifies and streamlines the process for voters within a school district to use a referendum to weigh in on certain school board actions. By cleaning up definitions and aligning procedures in state law, HB 170 removes confusion about how and when a referendum can be used, giving both citizens and school districts a shared understanding of the rules.

At its core, this legislation strengthens transparency and accountability in local education governance—helping ensure decisions that affect families and taxpayers are made with clarity, trust, and public confidence.