SB258 expands the Utah Preparing Students Today for a Rewarding Tomorrow (UPSTART) program participation to all preschool children and residential certificate preschool providers.
The Senate passed SB258 on March 3, 2023, by a vote of 26 to 0. We have assigned minuses to the yeas because this bill threatens educational freedom by attempting to displace traditional private and home education options in favor of a state-sponsored, universal preschool program. By means of curriculum controls and dependency on taxpayer funds, UPSTART effectively turns all participating preschools into government preschools. Moreover, education is not the role of government; a child’s education is the responsibility of—and a fundamental right of choice retained by—his or her parents. Forcing the citizens of Utah to hand over more of their hard-earned tax dollars to further support a compulsory, government-run, and failing K-12 school system violates their individual liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.