Cole Kelley
Cole Kelley (Republican Party) is a member of the Utah State Board of Education, representing District 12. He assumed office on January 6, 2025. His current term ends on January 1, 2029.
Kelley (Republican Party) ran for election to the Utah State Board of Education to represent District 12. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Kelley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Cole Kelley was born in American Fork, Utah. He earned a high school diploma from Pleasant Grove High School, a bachelor's degree in English education from Brigham Young University, a master's degree in educational counseling from the University of Phoenix, and an education administrative endorsement from Southern Utah University. He also attended Utah Valley University. Kelley's career experience includes working in counseling, administration, and as a classroom teacher and business owner.[1][2]
Elections
2024
See also: Utah State Board of Education election, 2024
General election
General election for Utah State Board of Education District 12
Cole Kelley defeated Jason Allen in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 12 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Cole Kelley (R) | 74.0 | 65,727 | |
| Jason Allen (Unaffiliated) | 26.0 | 23,069 | ||
| Total votes: 88,796 | ||||
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Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Cole Kelley advanced from the Republican primary for Utah State Board of Education District 12.
Republican convention
Republican convention for Utah State Board of Education District 12
Cole Kelley defeated incumbent James Moss Jr. in the Republican convention for Utah State Board of Education District 12 on April 27, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Cole Kelley (R) | 74.2 | 193 | |
| James Moss Jr. (R) | 25.8 | 67 | ||
| Total votes: 260 | ||||
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Endorsements
To view Kelley's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Kelley in this election.
2022
See also: Alpine School District, Utah, elections (2022)
General election
General election for Alpine School District, District 7
Incumbent Ada Wilson defeated Cole Kelley in the general election for Alpine School District, District 7 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Ada Wilson (Nonpartisan) | 57.0 | 7,366 | |
| Cole Kelley (Nonpartisan) | 43.0 | 5,546 | ||
| Total votes: 12,912 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Alpine School District, District 7
Incumbent Ada Wilson and Cole Kelley defeated Karsten Walker and Jodi Hasson in the primary for Alpine School District, District 7 on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Ada Wilson (Nonpartisan) | 46.4 | 2,982 | |
| ✔ | Cole Kelley (Nonpartisan) | 30.3 | 1,944 | |
| Karsten Walker (Nonpartisan) | 16.9 | 1,087 | ||
| Jodi Hasson (Nonpartisan) | 6.4 | 413 | ||
| Total votes: 6,426 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Campaign themes
2024
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released September 12, 2024 |
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Cole Kelley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Kelley's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Students over the System- Education leaders often cite graduation numbers to show the success of their educational institution. I have watched a trend of pushing kids through the system with little focus on what they learn as they move through the system. Cole wants to change the focus and measure student achievement and student progress as they move through the system.
- Curriculum Integrity- The Utah State Curriculum needs to be apolitical. I am a conservative school teacher that understands the need to keep my politics out of the classroom. It is not the job of public schools to influence a students political preference. We need to ensure that teachers are teaching students to think critically and are provided with the tools to make intelligent decisions for themselves.
- Teachers Salary and Classroom Size: These are two issues that we have been complaining about for over 50 years. If we continue to do the same thing, we will get the same result. Cole has unique ideas to reward excellent teachers and reduce classroom size. Cole hopes to retain excellent teachers and reward them for their excellence.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Kelley's website stated the following:[3]
| “ |
Teachers Salary We have complained about teacher salaries for decades. If you do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result, you are insane. We need new and innovative ideas to help attract some of our best young minds to the teaching profession. Here is a link to some videos of how I propose we can increase teacher salaries. Classroom Size Classroom size is another issue that seems to never get solved. You need outside the box ideas if you want to reduce classroom size. We need to implement technology and new ideas to reduce classroom size. Curriculum Integrity The Utah State Curriculum needs to be apolitical. I am a conservative school teacher that understands the need to keep my politics out of the classroom. It is not the job of public schools to influence a students political preference. We need to ensure that teachers are teaching students to think critically and are provided with the tools to make intelligent decisions for themselves. Protect Female Sports Women's sports has provided unique opportunities for young women in our schools. It is a mistake to allow boys to compete in girls sports. We need board members that are willing to stand against a woke culture and protect our female sports. National Education Association The values of the NEA do not coincide with the values of many Utah teachers. We need to make sure that Utah values are represented amongst teachers in Utah. The majority of NEA donations to political candidates are Democrats. We need board members that recognize that the NEA does not speak on behalf of Utah teachers. Diversity Equity and Inclusion The left is subtle and crafty in their use of language. I believe in embracing diversity in our schools, I believe in treating all students equally in our schools and I believe in including all students in a school culture; however, the ideas being promoted by many organizations do the opposite of what they suggest. The woke ideology divides rather than includes and does not bring us together. I will embrace and represent all students, but I will stand against curriculum that divides us. The ideas being sold as diversity, equity and inclusion are often used to divide us. [4] |
” |
2022
Cole Kelley did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
| Utah | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
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Candidate Utah State Board of Education District 12 |
Officeholder Utah State Board of Education District 12 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia staff, "Email communication with Cole Kelley," September 13, 2024
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 9, 2024
- ↑ Cole Kelley State Board of Education, "Students Over Systems," accessed September 19, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by James Moss Jr. (R) |
Utah State Board of Education District 12 2025-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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State of Utah Salt Lake City (capital) |
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