Search for Utah's next superintendent of public instruction down to 2 finalists
The search for Utah's next state superintendent of public instruction has been narrowed down to two finalists — both with deep ties to the state's K-12 public education system.
Following an 'extensive search and review process,' a Utah State Board of Education search committee has selected L. Ben Dalton and Molly L. Hart for final consideration for the position.
Once selected, the new superintendent will succeed Sydnee Dickson, who has served as state superintendent for nine years.
Dickson is expected to step away from the job next month.
Dalton has served as superintendent of Kane County School District since 2016. He previously served at the helm of the Garfield School District.
A native of Minersville, Beaver County, Dalton has over two decades of experience in public education and was named Utah's Superintendent of the Year in 2022.
He holds a doctorate in leadership and technology 'and has been recognized for his commitment to academic excellence and rural education,' according to a USBE release.
Hart serves as executive director of Summit Academy, a K-12 charter school with multiple campuses in Salt Lake County.
She has more than 20 years of experience in education — with roles ranging from teacher to principal across multiple states and grade levels.
Hart holds a doctorate in family-community services and has been honored with the Utah PTA Outstanding School Administrator Award and represents District 7 on the USBE.
She is, according to the USBE release, 'a strong advocate for student achievement and community engagement.'
On Wednesday, May 21, Dalton and Hart will participate in a public interview process with the board at the USBE building from 2:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The meeting will be open to the public, who are invited to attend the meeting in person or view it via the USBE livestream channel.
During the meeting, members of the state board will interview each finalist. Following the public interviews, the board will enter a closed executive session 'to discuss the character and professional competence of the candidates,' according to the USBE release.
The USBE anticipates then returning to open session directly after the executive session to announce its selection for Utah's next state superintendent of public instruction that same evening.
Dickson announced last January that she was stepping down from her post as state superintendent of public instruction.
A decadeslong educator, Dickson was tapped as one of the five state superintendents in 2016 after working at the state's education office since 2007.
'It has been an honor and privilege to serve the students, educators, and families of Utah,' she said in a statement announcing her decision to end her tenure.
'I am incredibly proud of the work we have accomplished together to improve educational outcomes and opportunities for all children.'
During her tenure, Dickson played a key role in creating the state's Portrait of a Graduate program to prepare students for success later on in life. She also helped oversee the state's expansion of full-day kindergarten, technology enhancements in schools and dual language immersion programs.
Whichever candidate is selected to be Utah's new state superintendent of public instruction will assume the job at a moment of historic disruption in the country's educational system.
In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking the elimination of the Department of Education — saying 'we want to return our students to the states.'
More than 108,000 Utah K-12 students benefit from federal funds allocated by the DOE, including Title I money.
Many worry that the upheaval of the DOE would harm kids from disadvantaged homes and communities whose schools receive allotments from the federal agency.
In an op-ed, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox countered that Utah has a 'long track record of investing in education' — including supporting low-income schools.
'But we could do it with more flexibility, less bureaucracy, and greater accountability to Utah families — not Washington regulators.'
The National School Lunch Program, which reimburses Utah schools and other states for students receiving free or reduced school meals, is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture — not the DOE.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Illinois rental assistance program sees funding cut for 2026 budget in another blow to state, city housing programs
William Dalton had never faced eviction until a series of bad events struck last year: His mom died, his relationship with the mother of his now 5-year-old daughter ended and his car was totaled. He fell behind on the rent for his two-bedroom apartment in the New City neighborhood. It caused him 'anxiety every day,' he said, after receiving the eviction notice a couple of months later. He didn't know where he would go if he lost his apartment, the home where his daughter was born. 'It was a lot on me,' Dalton said, who works in education. 'It is very hard to concentrate on things you need to get done, especially when you have a little one depending on you.' In a move that has brought him 'great relief,' Dalton was able to keep the roof over his head, where he has lived for five years, thanks to $10,000 from Illinois' rental assistance program. 'Once everything was settled, it was like I could actually start living life again,' he said. 'And it is very important for my daughter to see. I tried my best to mask it, but I'm pretty sure she picked up on it.' After its inaugural year as a state-funded effort, Illinois' court-based rental assistance program for tenants like Dalton struggling to pay rent and their landlords will stop accepting applications Friday and will see a third of its funds wiped away in the 2026 fiscal year that begins July 1. The reduction comes after the state grappled with serious fiscal challenges when balancing its budget this year, issues exacerbated by a federal government focused on axing spending. State lawmakers cut spending in various areas beyond housing as well. Dalton is one of 7,129 renters who has received assistance this fiscal year from the state program. The state housing authority's goal was to assist 8,900 households through the new program but will likely see closer to 8,000 households supported, said Illinois Housing Development Authority Executive Director Kristin Faust in an interview with the Tribune. The state agency administers the rental assistance program. Faust said the 8,900 number was based on an authority projection. 'We had hoped it would take us to the very end of the fiscal year because we always want to be able to meet all the need,' Faust said. 'The need was even greater than we expected.' So far, Faust said about $58 million in aid has been distributed to tenants and landlords, with thousands more applications yet to be processed and a small portion of the funds kept for administrative fees. The state program was previously funded by federal aid distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic and focused on helping tenants experiencing COVID-19-related hardships and at risk of eviction. At its height, the program provided up to $25,000 in rental assistance to cover up to 15 months of past-due rent and up to three months of future rent. Rental assistance programs became widespread during the pandemic to aid the millions of renters who were struggling to pay their rent on time across the country after many lost their jobs and got sick. Illinois allocated $75 million in state funding to continue to provide rental assistance to tenants and their landlords for fiscal year 2025. Unlike many other states and municipalities, Illinois made a significant allocation of dollars to continue the program. For fiscal year 2026, the state has appropriated $50 million. The next iteration of the program is expected to begin accepting applications in August, Faust said. 'We think it is overall a positive sign that the state in a difficult budget climate is continuing to invest in the program,' said Bob Glaves, executive director of the Chicago Bar Foundation, which manages the state eviction diversion program. Faust agreed, calling the program 'a very positive lesson learned out of COVID.' The court-based rental assistance program is just one aspect of the state's eviction diversion program, known formally as the Early Resolution Program. Tenants and small landlords can also receive legal aid to help settle eviction cases before they go to trial. Under the state-funded rental assistance program for the 2025 fiscal year, households facing eviction can receive up to $15,000 in rental assistance, which can pay past-due rent, up to $500 in court costs and up to two months of future rent, according to the state housing authority. Next fiscal year's program will see the maximum amount of aid reduced to $10,000, with a raise to $700 for eligible court costs coverage. Faust said this decision was made based on data from this year's program and conversations with legal aid, tenants and landlords. The authority estimates about 6,500 households will be able to receive assistance. 'We are feeling that we will be able to meet the majority of needs with this new dollar amount,' Faust said, 'and then also try to keep the program going for as long as possible for the next fiscal year.' Some of the data considered was the average amount of assistance doled out so far this fiscal year, which has been around $8,260, or eight months of rent. And 39% of aided households are extremely low income, earning less than $36,000 a year for a household of four, the state said. Eligible tenants have to make 80% or less of the area median income and do not have to be facing a COVID-19-related hardship. For a household of four, the area median income for much of the last fiscal year in Chicago was $89,700, according to the Chicago Department of Housing. For the next round of assistance, the state said tenants will be ineligible if they have received aid in the last 18 months. Renters do not have to prove their citizenship status and must have an active eviction case due to nonpayment of rent to qualify. Housing providers are not allowed to evict tenants during the grant's coverage period for nonpayment of rent. And for tenants whose landlords are unwilling to participate in the program, the state offers up to two months of future rent payments to help them find a new place to live. Renters in Chicago and Cook County maintain the right to stay in their homes if they pay their debts in full to their landlord at any time before an official eviction order is filed. Illinois lawmakers pass budget with tax hikes on tobacco, gambling — but adjourn without transit, Bears stadium Cook County housing authority facing potential multimillion-dollar budget shortfall as agencies brace for funding cuts Chicago housing nonprofit providing rental subsidies for very low-income renters facing a $10M budget shortfall After lawmakers pass budget with cuts and tax hikes, Gov. JB Pritzker blames state's fiscal challenges on Trump Lawmakers send flurry of bills to governor's desk in final days of spring session As Johnson administration touts 'Cut the Tape,' affordable housing developers want faster progress While Gov. JB Pritzker scored wins during legislative session, cellphone ban, other initiatives fell short There will be less money available for those in need of rental assistance, but Chicago's rent prices are showing no signs of easing. In May, rents in Chicago increased 2% compared to .4% nationally, which was the second fastest month-over-month rent growth of the nation's largest 100 cities, according to Apartment List. The city's year-over-year rent growth stands at 5%, landing it in fourth place for fastest growth among the nation's largest 100 cities. The rental assistance program dollars are a piece of the state's roughly $263.7 million Home Illinois budget — an initiative aimed at preventing and ending homelessness — for the coming fiscal year. The Home Illinois budget saw an overall decrease in its pot of funds of approximately $26.6 million, according to state budget documents. The same documents show that the Home Illinois funds were significantly underused in the 2024 fiscal year, but the Illinois Department of Human Services said this is because it was a 'start-up' year for multiple programs. There are also separate rental assistance dollars allocated to other state programs, the state said, with $89.5 million total (including the $50 million court-based program) earmarked to support those efforts this coming fiscal year. For the 2025 fiscal year, the number spent is estimated at $130 million. The reduction in funds this coming fiscal year hit as area housing groups who rely on city, state and federal dollars are already struggling to provide subsidized housing to some of the lowest income residents in the state as they are facing multimillion dollar budget shortfalls. Gov. JB Pritzker highlighted housing affordability as a key issue in his State of the State speech in February. Still, some of the most ambitious proposals that legislators introduced on the topic didn't pass out of the General Assembly. Bob Palmer, policy director for Housing Action Illinois, a group advocating for an increase in affordable housing in the state, said that while he is thankful to see the state committing serious dollars to Home Illinois even in challenging budget times, the government has to find a way to increase funding for the initiative every year if it wants to accomplish the initiative's goal. 'Ending homelessness and making sure everyone has a safe and decent place to live should be one of the highest priorities, and the budget that passed doesn't reflect that,' Palmer said. Through April of this year, about 8,280 residential evictions were filed, according to the most recently available data from the Circuit Court of Cook County. Eviction filings in Cook County have been at pre-pandemic levels since 2022. Enforced evictions — those carried out by the sheriff's office under a court order — at residential rental properties caught up to 2019 levels for the first year in 2023. Most evictions in the city typically take place on the South and West sides in majority Black and Latino communities, trends that line up with national data showing racial minorities are more likely to face eviction. The pandemic disproportionately affected racial minorities, who were more likely to experience hardships such as job loss and illness. Landlords and their attorneys have said that sometimes rental assistance ends up being a Band-Aid fix, with housing providers having to evict their residents even after they have received aid. As an owner of five buildings with a total of 17 apartments, primarily in Washington Park, Gene Lee has received rental assistance for two tenants when the program was federally funded. In those cases, Lee said the renters had worked for Chicago Public Schools and their work hours were cut during the pandemic. For tenants who are communicative and experiencing short-term financial hardships such as those two CPS workers, the rental assistance program is effective, Lee said. Now, as the program faces a funding cut and rising rent costs are eating into households' budgets, Lee said housing providers like himself will be put in a tough position if there is not enough assistance available for some tenants in need. 'If those (rental assistance) resources become a little bit limited, it puts pressure on us,' said Lee, who runs TLG Development and works at LinkedIn. 'Do we make an economic decision to try to evict this tenant and find someone else, or do you try to have a heart for someone who just needs a place and falls on hard times?' To apply for the Illinois Court-Based Rental Assistance Program, go to Tribune reporter Olivia Olander contributed. ekane@
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Illinois rental assistance program sees funding cut for 2026 budget in another blow to state, city housing programs
William Dalton had never faced eviction until a series of bad events struck last year: His mom died, his relationship with the mother of his now 5-year-old daughter ended and his car was totaled. He fell behind on the rent for his two-bedroom apartment in the New City neighborhood. It caused him 'anxiety every day,' he said, after receiving the eviction notice a couple of months later. He didn't know where he would go if he lost his apartment, the home where his daughter was born. 'It was a lot on me,' Dalton said, who works in education. 'It is very hard to concentrate on things you need to get done, especially when you have a little one depending on you.' In a move that has brought him 'great relief,' Dalton was able to keep the roof over his head, where he has lived for five years, thanks to $10,000 from Illinois' rental assistance program. 'Once everything was settled, it was like I could actually start living life again,' he said. 'And it is very important for my daughter to see. I tried my best to mask it, but I'm pretty sure she picked up on it.' After its inaugural year as a state-funded effort, Illinois' court-based rental assistance program for tenants like Dalton struggling to pay rent and their landlords will stop accepting applications Friday and will see a third of its funds wiped away in the 2026 fiscal year that begins July 1. The reduction comes after the state grappled with serious fiscal challenges when balancing its budget this year, issues exacerbated by a federal government focused on axing spending. State lawmakers cut spending in various areas beyond housing as well. Dalton is one of 7,129 renters who has received assistance this fiscal year from the state program. The state housing authority's goal was to assist 8,900 households through the new program but will likely see closer to 8,000 households supported, said Illinois Housing Development Authority Executive Director Kristin Faust in an interview with the Tribune. The state agency administers the rental assistance program. Faust said the 8,900 number was based on an authority projection. 'We had hoped it would take us to the very end of the fiscal year because we always want to be able to meet all the need,' Faust said. 'The need was even greater than we expected.' So far, Faust said about $58 million in aid has been distributed to tenants and landlords, with thousands more applications yet to be processed and a small portion of the funds kept for administrative fees. The state program was previously funded by federal aid distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic and focused on helping tenants experiencing COVID-19-related hardships and at risk of eviction. At its height, the program provided up to $25,000 in rental assistance to cover up to 15 months of past-due rent and up to three months of future rent. Rental assistance programs became widespread during the pandemic to aid the millions of renters who were struggling to pay their rent on time across the country after many lost their jobs and got sick. Illinois allocated $75 million in state funding to continue to provide rental assistance to tenants and their landlords for fiscal year 2025. Unlike many other states and municipalities, Illinois made a significant allocation of dollars to continue the program. For fiscal year 2026, the state has appropriated $50 million. The next iteration of the program is expected to begin accepting applications in August, Faust said. 'We think it is overall a positive sign that the state in a difficult budget climate is continuing to invest in the program,' said Bob Glaves, executive director of the Chicago Bar Foundation, which manages the state eviction diversion program. Faust agreed, calling the program 'a very positive lesson learned out of COVID.' The court-based rental assistance program is just one aspect of the state's eviction diversion program, known formally as the Early Resolution Program. Tenants and small landlords can also receive legal aid to help settle eviction cases before they go to trial. Under the state-funded rental assistance program for the 2025 fiscal year, households facing eviction can receive up to $15,000 in rental assistance, which can pay past-due rent, up to $500 in court costs and up to two months of future rent, according to the state housing authority. Next fiscal year's program will see the maximum amount of aid reduced to $10,000, with a raise to $700 for eligible court costs coverage. Faust said this decision was made based on data from this year's program and conversations with legal aid, tenants and landlords. The authority estimates about 6,500 households will be able to receive assistance. 'We are feeling that we will be able to meet the majority of needs with this new dollar amount,' Faust said, 'and then also try to keep the program going for as long as possible for the next fiscal year.' Some of the data considered was the average amount of assistance doled out so far this fiscal year, which has been around $8,260, or eight months of rent. And 39% of aided households are extremely low income, earning less than $36,000 a year for a household of four, the state said. Eligible tenants have to make 80% or less of the area median income and do not have to be facing a COVID-19-related hardship. For a household of four, the area median income for much of the last fiscal year in Chicago was $89,700, according to the Chicago Department of Housing. For the next round of assistance, the state said tenants will be ineligible if they have received aid in the last 18 months. Renters do not have to prove their citizenship status and must have an active eviction case due to nonpayment of rent to qualify. Housing providers are not allowed to evict tenants during the grant's coverage period for nonpayment of rent. And for tenants whose landlords are unwilling to participate in the program, the state offers up to two months of future rent payments to help them find a new place to live. Renters in Chicago and Cook County maintain the right to stay in their homes if they pay their debts in full to their landlord at any time before an official eviction order is filed. There will be less money available for those in need of rental assistance, but Chicago's rent prices are showing no signs of easing. In May, rents in Chicago increased 2% compared to .4% nationally, which was the second fastest month-over-month rent growth of the nation's largest 100 cities, according to Apartment List. The city's year-over-year rent growth stands at 5%, landing it in fourth place for fastest growth among the nation's largest 100 cities. The rental assistance program dollars are a piece of the state's roughly $263.7 million Home Illinois budget — an initiative aimed at preventing and ending homelessness — for the coming fiscal year. The Home Illinois budget saw an overall decrease in its pot of funds of approximately $26.6 million, according to state budget documents. The same documents show that the Home Illinois funds were significantly underused in the 2024 fiscal year, but the Illinois Department of Human Services said this is because it was a 'start-up' year for multiple programs. There are also separate rental assistance dollars allocated to other state programs, the state said, with $89.5 million total (including the $50 million court-based program) earmarked to support those efforts this coming fiscal year. For the 2025 fiscal year, the number spent is estimated at $130 million. The reduction in funds this coming fiscal year hit as area housing groups who rely on city, state and federal dollars are already struggling to provide subsidized housing to some of the lowest income residents in the state as they are facing multimillion dollar budget shortfalls. Gov. JB Pritzker highlighted housing affordability as a key issue in his State of the State speech in February. Still, some of the most ambitious proposals that legislators introduced on the topic didn't pass out of the General Assembly. Bob Palmer, policy director for Housing Action Illinois, a group advocating for an increase in affordable housing in the state, said that while he is thankful to see the state committing serious dollars to Home Illinois even in challenging budget times, the government has to find a way to increase funding for the initiative every year if it wants to accomplish the initiative's goal. 'Ending homelessness and making sure everyone has a safe and decent place to live should be one of the highest priorities, and the budget that passed doesn't reflect that,' Palmer said. Through April of this year, about 8,280 residential evictions were filed, according to the most recently available data from the Circuit Court of Cook County. Eviction filings in Cook County have been at pre-pandemic levels since 2022. Enforced evictions — those carried out by the sheriff's office under a court order — at residential rental properties caught up to 2019 levels for the first year in 2023. Most evictions in the city typically take place on the South and West sides in majority Black and Latino communities, trends that line up with national data showing racial minorities are more likely to face eviction. The pandemic disproportionately affected racial minorities, who were more likely to experience hardships such as job loss and illness. Landlords and their attorneys have said that sometimes rental assistance ends up being a Band-Aid fix, with housing providers having to evict their residents even after they have received aid. As an owner of five buildings with a total of 17 apartments, primarily in Washington Park, Gene Lee has received rental assistance for two tenants when the program was federally funded. In those cases, Lee said the renters had worked for Chicago Public Schools and their work hours were cut during the pandemic. For tenants who are communicative and experiencing short-term financial hardships such as those two CPS workers, the rental assistance program is effective, Lee said. Now, as the program faces a funding cut and rising rent costs are eating into households' budgets, Lee said housing providers like himself will be put in a tough position if there is not enough assistance available for some tenants in need. 'If those (rental assistance) resources become a little bit limited, it puts pressure on us,' said Lee, who runs TLG Development and works at LinkedIn. 'Do we make an economic decision to try to evict this tenant and find someone else, or do you try to have a heart for someone who just needs a place and falls on hard times?' To apply for the Illinois Court-Based Rental Assistance Program, go to Tribune reporter Olivia Olander contributed. ekane@
Entrepreneur
2 days ago
- Entrepreneur
Aditya Birla Group Acquires Cargill's Georgia Chemical Plant to Expand U.S. Footprint
With this acquisition, Aditya Birla Group deepens its U.S. presence, adding to a portfolio worth over $15 billion that already includes Novelis and Birla Carbon You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. The Aditya Birla Group has acquired Cargill Inc.'s speciality chemical manufacturing facility in Dalton, Georgia, bolstering its growing footprint in the U.S. chemicals sector and marking a key step in expanding its advanced materials portfolio. The deal, made through Aditya Birla Chemicals (USA) Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Aditya Birla Chemicals (Thailand) Ltd, was finalized for an undisclosed amount. With this acquisition, the Indian conglomerate deepens its U.S. presence, adding to a portfolio worth over $15 billion that already includes Novelis and Birla Carbon. The newly acquired Dalton facility, spread across 17 acres, currently produces speciality chemicals such as epoxy resins and curing agents. Plans are underway to more than double its annual capacity from 16,000 tonnes to over 40,000 tonnes within two years. All 50 existing employees will be retained. "This marks a strategic entry into the US chemicals industry and aligns with our broader commitment to support the revival of American manufacturing," said Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla. "We see significant opportunity to grow and modernise this facility and continue to look for other strategic assets." The move reflects the conglomerate's intent to embed itself deeper into the American advanced manufacturing landscape. In addition to capacity expansion, the group will introduce advanced materials tailored for sectors such as automotive, renewable energy, and aerospace. This includes proprietary technologies designed to recycle epoxy composites used in wind turbines, sports gear, and pressure vessels. "Establishing a local presence enables us to serve regional customers more efficiently and co-develop tailored solutions," said Rajesh Balakrishnan, CEO of the Advanced Materials business. "We're excited to enhance the facility's capabilities and expand our product offerings." Jayant Dhobley, business head of Chemicals, Fashion & Insulators at Aditya Birla Group, confirmed that the Dalton site will see further investment in the near future. Integration with the group's global technology base is expected to be a key part of the upgrade. The acquisition underscores the group's long-term commitment to the U.S. economy, as Birla solidifies his position as the largest Indian investor in the country. "This acquisition represents Aditya Birla's strategic entry into the US chemicals industry, extending the business model of our other successful manufacturing businesses in the United States," Birla said.
