By Carmen Nesbitt | The Salt Lake Tribune | Photo By Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune

The Utah State Board of Education on Thursday rejected a proposal from some of its members to send a letter to President Donald Trump formally supporting the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education.

The letter, revised twice since its initial release earlier this week, praised the Trump administration’s recent executive order to scale back the department and shift full control of public education to the states.

“It is the conviction of the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) that educational decisions should be made as close to the student as possible,” the latest draft read. “First and foremost, this rests with parents, but certainly shouldn’t leave the state.”

After a short debate, the board shot down the proposal in a 10-4 vote, with members Jennie Earl, Rod Hall, Joseph Kerry and Cole Kelley voting in favor — the same four who requested that the board consider the letter.

The letter was also addressed to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens and other Utah congressional members.

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This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.