Utah State Board of Education District 11: Terry Hutchinson vs. Tracy Nuttall
The Republican primary state school board in USBE’s District 11—parts of south Salt Lake and north Utah County.
About this position:
The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) is the constitutionally established, elected body that exercises general control and supervision over the state’s public K-12 education system. Its primary responsibilities include setting academic standards, licensing educators, distributing funding, and ensuring compliance with state and federal laws.
USBE District 11 covers: Alpine, American Fork, Bluffdale, Cedar Hills, Herriman (the southern portion), Highland, Lehi, and Pleasant Grove (north of 200 South). Note that current USBE District 11 member Cindy Davis is not seeking re-election, so this is an open seat.
Enter your address to find your state school board member, or see the USBE district map.
Candidates
Top priorities come from candidates’ official websites. We view this guide as merely a starting point. Please research more and reach out to the candidates directly to learn more about their issues and experience.
Find the values and attributes we’re looking for in candidates.
Terry Hutchinson
About: Grew up in Alpine and graduated from American Fork High School. Also graduated from BYU Law school and served in the military for five years. Following his service, he lived in Southern Utah (Washington County) and Nevada. Terry and his wife, Jenee, raised their children in Washington County, where their children attended local schools. Terry served on the Washington County Library Board for several years. then the Washington County School Board for eight years, ending his service in 2024.
Top priorities (from website): Local values, Parents choice, School safety
Insights: We are concerned with several aspects of this candidate’s background, and worry about his ability to serve the people of District 11 in North Utah county and south Salt Lake County. We note investigations into his primary residence while serving on the Washington County School Board along with possible ethics violations, including removing materials from school libraries in violation of state law.
In general, we tend to be wary of candidates who win the GOP endorsement (as Mr. Hutchinson did), because most delegates skew ultraconservative and in our experience often are significantly further right than the overall Republican base.
Tracy Nuttall
About: Tracy and her family have lived in Alpine, UT since 2012. Their three children currently attend Alpine School District schools. After graduating from BYU Law school, she worked as a Legislative Attorney for the Utah State Legislature drafting public education policy and later for the Utah State Board of Education as a legal consultant.
Ms. Nuttall currently works as Director of Policy, Planning and Public Affairs at Utah State Tax Commission. She’s been an active volunteer in schools, both on local school community councils, PTA, and several other service programs.
Top priorities (from website): School safety, Student focused teaching, Building Relationships, Responsible funding, Keeping politics out of classrooms
Insights: We’ve personally met with Ms. Nuttall and been very impressed. She brings a depth of experience with the board of education that is rare and useful. Ms. Nuttall has relationships with current and former legislators and USBE board members, understands policy processes, and (unlike her opponent) brings deep experience in the schools from the local community she represents.
We anticipate her being a highly effective representative if elected. We echo her endorsement by the current District 11 Board Member, Cindy Davis, whose commitment to kids’ learning and responsible, pragmatic legislation we admire.
Our Recommendation
We highly recommend Tracy Nuttall as the best choice for the USBE District 11 Republican primary. Her squeaky-clean record, relationships, and lived experience in the area she would represent make her a great fit for the job.
Learn more about the district and watch the USBE District 11 debate.
What’s next?
The winner of this primary race will face Democratic candidate Lacey Peterson in the general election in November.