Utah State Board of Education District 14: Linda Hanks and Nicole Isom
The Republican primary for USBE District 14 between Linda Hanks and Nicole Isom.
About this position:
The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) is a constitutionally established, elected, partisan body that exercises general control and supervision over the public education system in Utah. The board establishes the state’s educational core standards, educator licensing policies, and high school graduation requirements.
USBE’s 15 board members are elected to four-year terms to represent their geographical area. Board members meet for two days each month doing study sessions, committee meetings, full board meetings, and separate meetings as the board of the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB). The State Board appoints the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to administer all programs in accordance with established policies and standards.
Both the State Board and State Superintendent are responsible for compliance with state and federal laws and administrative rules affecting education and for the distribution of over $4 billion to charter and district schools.
USBE District 14 covers Beaver, Sevier, Iron, Emery, Utah, Millard, Juab, Carbon, Sanpete, and Grand Counties. See the 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.
Linda Hanks
About: Ms. Hanks is a long-term resident of Levan who has dedicated 16 years to the Juab School Board, including four terms as president. With 12 years of experience as an elementary and special education teacher, she has also served as President of the Utah School Boards Association, where she advocated for rural interests for a decade.
Top priorities: empowering families and teachers, representing rural communities, local control, collaborative approaches
Insights: We’ve been impressed by Ms. Hank’s experienced and consistent communication with constituents during over a decade of school board leadership, both through in-person gatherings and digital engagement. Her candidacy has garnered notable support within local community groups, including an endorsement from a former superintendent who praised her as “level-headed” and “wonderful to work with.”
Ms. Hanks possesses a deep understanding of the tension between state-level mandates and the specific needs of rural interests. Her extensive history of collaborating with state officials would help her to effectively navigate bureaucratic hurdles while championing local school autonomy.
Nichole Isom
About: Ms. Isom has lived in Hurricane and Sigard. Ms. Isom is a dedicated homeschool educator and parent and has served as County Delegate for Republican Party. From 1997–2001, Ms. Isom worked as a special education paraprofessional within the Iron County School District. She’s also worked as an ESL teacher for students in China, provided private instruction in American Sign Language, and as the director for a foreign exchange student program.
Top priorities: Homeschooling rights, limit computerized instruction and data collection, encourage patriotism
Insights: We are concerned about Ms. Isom’s lack of relevant experience, unsubstantiated claims and attack ads, and strong ideology (despite her campaign slogan). After talking with Ms. Isom and looking at her record, we’re unsure if Ms. Isom has spent much time in public classrooms, which is critical for USBE.
Even more worrisome, some of her claims have not stood up to scrutiny. She claims she started a charter school; she was actually a parent volunteer. She claimed to have worked in special ed—when asked to clarify, responded that she worked as an aide for a few years over two decades ago. Several other claims were not able to be confirmed.
And frankly, we’re also troubled by Ms. Isom’s ideology and campaigning. While her campaign slogan is “Academics over Ideology,” her example was student walkouts during ICE claiming students are being directed by educators. Her campaign is focused on the idea that homeschool is under attack and that children are being used for data. We note she’s worked with other parents to remove books from local schools and is in favor of using a Book Rating system statewide.
During her campaign, Ms. Isom has employed AI attack ads against her opponent, which we find highly distasteful and disappointing.
Our recommendation
We strongly encourage residents within USBE District 14 to vote for Linda Hanks. Ms. Hanks brings both strong experience and rural ties; she understands public education, the challenges of operating in rural environments, and wants to ensure the classroom remains a space for learning rather than political agendas. We believe Ms. Hanks will represent her community well and bring a needed voice for rural communities to the state school board.