Utah has more women in school leadership than it used to, but when it comes to the top jobs, progress is stalling, and a new research brief is asking whether HB261 is partly to blame. Two years after lawmakers passed the law restricting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, the Utah Women & Leadership Project is reporting mixed gains for women on school boards and in principal roles, while women remain scarce in the uppermost ranks of district administration. UWLP founding director Susan Madsen went so far as to call the law “a big setback” for women in education leadership.
According to KSL, the new UWLP brief, titled “The Status of Women Leaders in Public Education (K–12): A 2026 Update,” finds that women now hold 51.3% of leadership positions across Utah’s state and district education systems but only 18.2% of district superintendent jobs. KSL also reports that the national average for women district superintendents is about 35.8%, which puts Utah well behind the curve.
Report Shows Gains at Some Levels, Glaring Gap at the Top
UWLP’s statewide count shows women now hold 66.7% of Utah State Board of Education seats and have made modest inroads among principals and assistant principals. Those advances have not translated into anything close to parity in superintendent offices, where men still dominate. To close that gap, the project encourages districts to focus on targeted recruitment, mentoring relationships, and stronger leadership development pipelines that prepare women for those top jobs, according to the Utah Women & Leadership Project.
How HB261 Reshaped Campus Supports
HB261, the 2024 “Equal Opportunity Initiatives” law, took effect on July 1, 2024, and limits how public institutions can run programs or require submissions that rely on identity-based categories. As the Utah Legislature explains in the enrolled bill, implementation has led several campuses to rework or shut down cultural and resource centers. That pattern has been tracked by Inside Higher Ed, which detailed closures and consolidations as schools tried to stay within the new rules.
Local Reaction and What Comes Next
Madsen told KSL that HB261, combined with recent budget cuts, has sharply limited UWLP’s outreach work. She noted that most of the project’s legislative funding was cut in the 2026 session. The brief’s authors urge state leaders and school systems to keep a close eye on hiring patterns, rebuild campus support structures wherever the law allows, and invest in leadership pipelines so that the modest gains already on the books do not stall out, according to the Utah Women & Leadership Project.
Legal Teeth and Oversight Power
Section 14 of HB261 sets the law’s effective date and spells out reporting and review requirements that give lawmakers tools to enforce compliance, including the option to withhold appropriations, per the Utah Legislature. That kind of oversight means the practical effects of HB261 on hiring, training and campus-based programs are likely to keep unfolding over the next several years, as researchers, school boards, and advocates wait for the next round of data to see whether the leadership numbers move in the right direction.
