Molly Hart

Molly Hart

Nonpartisan

Utah Superintendent of Public Instruction

Tenure

2025 - Present

Years in position

0

Predecessor

Sydnee Dickson

Prior offices

Utah State Board of Education District 10

Successor: Matt Hymas

Predecessor: Shawn Newell

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Utah State Board of Education District 7

Successor: Erin Longacre

Predecessor: Carol Barlow Lear

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Compensation

Base salary

$297,681

Elections and appointments

Last convention

November 5, 2024

Appointed

May 21, 2025

Education

Bachelor's

Michigan State University, 1995

Graduate

Columbus State University, 1999

Ph.D

Valdosta State University, 2009

Other

Michigan State University

Personal

Birthplace

Midland, Mich.

Profession

Educator and administrator

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Molly Hart is the Utah Superintendent of Public Instruction. She assumed office on July 1, 2025.

Hart (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Utah State Board of Education to represent District 7. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Hart completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Hart was appointed by the Utah State Board of Education on May 21, 2025 to replace Sydnee Dickson.

Biography

Molly Hart was born in Midland, Michigan. She earned a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University in 1995, a graduate degree from Columbus State University in 1999, and a Ph.D. from Valdosta State University in 2009. Hart's career experience includes working as a teacher, a paraprofessional, and the principal of Albion Middle School.

Elections

2024

See also: Utah State Board of Education election, 2024

General election

General election for Utah State Board of Education District 7

Incumbent Molly Hart defeated John Arthur in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 7 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Molly Hart (R)	52.7	57,464
		John Arthur (D)	47.3	51,660

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 109,124
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. John Arthur advanced from the Democratic primary for Utah State Board of Education District 7.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Utah State Board of Education District 7

Incumbent Molly Hart defeated Kris Kimball in the Republican primary for Utah State Board of Education District 7 on June 25, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Molly Hart	55.4	15,033
		Kris Kimball	44.6	12,086

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 27,119
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Utah State Board of Education District 7

John Arthur advanced from the Democratic convention for Utah State Board of Education District 7 on March 30, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		John Arthur (D)

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican convention

Republican convention for Utah State Board of Education District 7

Kris Kimball defeated incumbent Molly Hart in the Republican convention for Utah State Board of Education District 7 on April 13, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kris Kimball (R)	65.5	194
		Molly Hart (R)	34.5	102

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 296
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hart in this election.

2020

See also: Utah State Board of Education election, 2020

General election

General election for Utah State Board of Education District 10

Molly Hart won election in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 10 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Molly Hart (R)	100.0	81,974

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 81,974
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Utah State Board of Education District 10

Molly Hart defeated David Linford in the Republican primary for Utah State Board of Education District 10 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Molly Hart	67.3	22,101
	Submit photo	David Linford	32.7	10,741

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 32,842
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican convention

Republican convention for Utah State Board of Education District 10

Molly Hart and David Linford defeated Jeffrey Ferlo in the Republican convention for Utah State Board of Education District 10 on April 25, 2020.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Jeffrey Ferlo (R)
✔		Molly Hart (R)
✔	Submit photo	David Linford (R)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Molly Hart completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hart's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am Molly Hart, and I am committed to empowering Utah communities to make decisions about their schools, wholeheartedly advocating for local control. I understand the importance of family involvement in shaping their children’s education. I value and respect parents in educational decision-making.

I have worked as a paraprofessional, teacher, assistant principal, principal, and executive director (superintendent) for 25+ years. Informed decision-making is critical on the state board, and understanding the context before creating policies is essential. Fiscal responsibility, using taxpayer funds responsibly by eliminating education spending inefficiencies, is vital. Finally, by reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, educators are empowered to teach deeply and creatively. My goals align with the needs of families, schools, and communities, ensuring positive change in Utah’s educational landscape.

My leadership roles within the State Board of Education, including Vice-chair of the Board and Chair of the Audit Committee, demonstrate my experience and dedication to serving our community. With a proven track record of service and a forward-thinking approach, I want to continue our work. Dialogue with constituents is essential to successful governance, and I invite engagement via my website, phone, email. Vote Molly Hart, Utah State Board of Education, District 7. Together, we can make a difference!

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Academic excellence is the vision for all Utah students. Deep analytical skills, critical thinking, responsibility, collaboration, innovation, and perseverance are all outcomes of rigorous standards applied and practiced in Utah classrooms. Teaching deep understanding in math and science develops analytical skills. Studying great literary works in classrooms leads to the development of critical thought and effective writing and communication skills. Expecting students to turn in assignments on time, work with peers, and correct errors leads to perseverance and builds responsibility. This all works together in opening doors of opportunity for all Utah children.
• Teachers want to teach, parents want their children to learn, and children are naturally curious. Educational policy decisions that increase communication between school and parents empower communities to build strong schools that benefit everyone. Timely and meaningful collaboration between teachers and parents increases student attendance, decreases student behavior issues, and improves the quality of student learning. Communication and transparency is most impactful at the school level--between parents and teachers directly. Teachers benefit by understanding their particular students' needs. Parents benefit by understanding clearly what their child is learning at school. Students cannot help but thrive in such an environment.
• Teachers are professionals who can do their best work when they have adequate time to dedicate to working directly with children, with fewer competing demands of administrative tasks, school duties, and other responsibilities ancillary to the classroom. To this end, teacher licensure, professional development, and training needs must be streamlined and targeted. Teachers should be clear on the standards, materials and outcomes desired by stakeholders and outlined in public policy. Finally, all problems are best solved closest to the issues, which means teachers must be part of the leadership teams at all levels working on educational issues and policies.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am interested in all things education. Education has been the key to liberty and freedom for me, a first-generation college graduate. I am focused on the responsible allocation and accounting of education dollars and simplifying the demands on teachers and schools while maintaining transparency and good relationships with parents—all so that all children reach the Utah standards at a high level of achievement.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am an extremely hard worker who likes to stay busy. I also love hearing people's stories and listening to their thoughts and ideas. I have done so many different things in education that I am not stuck on any one model of education. The connection between research and practice is fascinating to me, and I am always looking for ways to improve education without increasing regulatory burdens.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

As an influential state school board member, it's crucial to embrace a multitude of viewpoints. This entails not just considering your own perspective, but also understanding and respecting the views of others. It's a role that requires deep involvement and awareness of how education and schools operate at various levels. Representing over 220,000 individuals, including 55,000 children, on a state school board necessitates a profound commitment to learning and problem-solving complex issues. The Utah State Board of Education is responsible for distributing state and federal education funds, setting learning and graduation standards, formulating policy based on legislation, and overseeing schools. A willingness to collaborate, develop expertise, and make decisions across diverse areas is paramount.

What legacy would you like to leave?

To leave places I have been better than how I found them.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The Utah State Board of Education has a unique role that is different than a legislative body. USBE is tasked with leading an organization that implements legislative decisions. This means the board is not simply writing policy, but also overseeing an agency. This means we operate differently than legislature.

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.

2020

Molly Hart did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

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Candidate

Utah State Board of Education District 7

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Sydnee Dickson	Utah Superintendent of Public Instruction 2025-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by Carol Barlow Lear (D)	Utah State Board of Education District 7 2023-2025	Succeeded by Erin Longacre (R)
Preceded by Shawn Newell	Utah State Board of Education District 10 2021-2023	Succeeded by Matt Hymas (R)