Terry Hutchinson

Terry Hutchinson was a member of the Washington County Schools in Utah, representing District 3. He assumed office in 2016. He left office on January 6, 2025. Hutchinson did not run for re-election to Washington County School District, District 3 in 2024.

Hutchinson (Republican Party) ran for election to the Utah State Board of Education to represent District 11. He lost in the Republican primary on June 23, 2026.

Terry Hutchinson did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Hutchinson participated in [the profile publisher]'s 2016 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions.

Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:

Education policy

Click here to learn more about education policy in Utah.

Education on the ballot

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.

Issue importance ranking

Candidate's ranking

Issue

1

Balancing or maintaining the district's budget

2

Improving post-secondary readiness

3

Expanding school choice options

4

Closing the achievement gap

5

Improving relations with teachers

6

Improving education for special needs students

7

Expanding arts education

I think that the oversight of the budget and the way its allocated as to administration vs. actual teachers and facilities is important. I think that the District Administration allocation is extremely important. I believe the three key words are oversight, accountability and integrity.[3]

—Terry Hutchinson (May 13, 2016)[4]

Positions on the issues

The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from [the profile publisher] regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.

Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools.In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.)

Yes. The more options parents have for their students, the better. Charter schools can provide education in areas that some students want.

Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement.

The state should defer to school board decisions in most cases.

Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement?

Yes. While there are exceptions to this, the vast majority of cases require measurement against a set standard. The real issue is how what is measured by the tests.

What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative?

I think that there should be a regular standard, but I do not believe the execution of the Common Core has been handled well at the federal or state level. When the majority of teachers I've talked to don't approve of it, then there's something wrong with it.

How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district?

Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district.

When the problem is not one of intentional misconduct or intentional lack of effort, then rehabilitation and additional training would help. If that doesn't do it, then they should be terminated. I'm not in favor of promoting continued failure for long periods of time. This applies to administrators as well.

Should teachers receive merit pay?

Yes. While merit pay is easy to talk about, it is difficult to measure. This can encourage false reporting and cheating. I believe merit pay can be secured through observable achievements like percentage of students who pass the AP tests, etc.

Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program?

Yes. I believe that increased competition helps all of the students and the parents. When parents believe they have more choice, then they don't always feel private schools are better. If they believe the public system fears to compete, they are more likely to assume that the public system is worse.

How should expulsion be used in the district?

It is necessary at times and needs to be used to protect other students.

What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration?

Teachers. The teacher is the most important factor. Their passion for their subject is transferred to the students. Parent involvement is important. Parents can provide structure and the teacher should work with the parents to encourage this. Still, the better the teacher, the more effective the student.