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9
53F-5-222
63I-2-253
0
Mentoring and Supporting Teacher Excellence and Refinement Program Amendments
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Candice B. Pierucci
Senate Sponsor: Heidi Balderree
Cosponsor:
Stephanie Gricius
Clinton D. Okerlund
Cheryl K. Acton
Katy Hall
Nicholeen P. Peck
John Arthur
Sahara Hayes
Karen M. Peterson
Melissa G. Ballard
Ken Ivory
Michael J. Petersen
Stewart E. Barlow
Colin W. Jack
Thomas W. Peterson
Bridger Bolinder
Jill Koford
Jake Sawyer
Walt Brooks
Michael L. Kohler
Mike Schultz
Jefferson S. Burton
Jason B. Kyle
Lisa Shepherd
Kay J. Christofferson
Karianne Lisonbee
Andrew Stoddard
Tyler Clancy
A. Cory Maloy
Jordan D. Teuscher
Jennifer Dailey-Provost
Verona Mauga
Jason E. Thompson
Ariel Defay
Tracy J. Miller
Christine F. Watkins
Joseph Elison
Logan J. Monson
Stephen L. Whyte
Doug Fiefia
Carol S. Moss
Jake Fitisemanu
Hoang Nguyen
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill removes pilot related language from the Mentoring and Supporting Teacher
Excellence and Refinement Pilot Program.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
removes pilot related language from the Mentoring and Supporting Teacher Excellence
and Refinement Pilot Program; and
makes conforming changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
This bill appropriates
$2,400,000
in operating and capital budgets for fiscal year 2027, all
of which is from the various sources as detailed in this bill.
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
53F-5-222
Effective
05/06/26
Repealed
07/01/28
, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2024,
Chapter 412
63I-2-253
Effective
05/06/26
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2025, First Special
Session, Chapter 9
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section
53F-5-222
is amended to read:
53F-5-222
Effective
05/06/26
Repealed
07/01/28
. Mentoring and Supporting
Teacher Excellence and Refinement Program.
(1)
As used in this section:
(a)
"Master teacher" means a classroom teacher who has been approved by the teacher's
administrator for an eligible initiative described in Subsection
(6)
.
(b)
"Mentoring and Supporting Teacher Excellence and Refinement
Pilot
Program" or
"program" means the program created in Subsection
(2)
.
(c)
"Regional education service agency" or "RESA" means the same as the term is
defined in Section
53G-4-410
.
(d)
"Teacher leader work" means nonadministrative leadership tasks that occur in
conjunction with a teacher's main duties to provide instruction while avoiding formal
administrative roles, other than those relating directly to teacher leadership or
development, for the teacher engaging in the tasks, including:
(i)
leading teachers;
(ii)
mentoring teachers; and
(iii)
providing observations or feedback to teachers.
(2)
There is created a
two-year pilot
program known as the Mentoring and Supporting
Teacher Excellence and Refinement
Pilot
Program to provide funding to an LEA to
improve retention of strong educators who remain in the classroom and have access to
growth opportunities in the form of innovative teacher leadership tracks outside of
contractual educator steps and lanes to:
(a)
foster development of leadership skills in participating teachers; and
(b)
provide the opportunity for a master teacher to impact and provide guidance for
fellow teachers seeking to refine instructional skills.
(3)
The state board shall:
(a)
solicit proposals from LEAs and RESAs to receive a grant under this section; and
(b)
award grants to LEAs or RESAs on a competitive basis based on the LEA's or
RESA's application described in Subsection
(4)(a)
.
(4)
To receive a grant under this section, an LEA or RESA shall:
(a)
submit an application to the state board that:
(i)
describes the program tier for which the LEA or RESA is applying;
(ii)
describes the eligible initiatives for which the LEA or RESA will use the grant
amount;
(iii)
provides evidence of the required matching funds described in Subsection
(4)(b)
;
(iv)
describes how the proposal will further the purposes of the program described in
Subsection
(2)
; and
(v)
outlines the metrics the LEA or RESA will use to measure success of the
program; and
(b)
provide matching funds for a grant from a program tier as follows:
(i)
a 10% match by the LEA or RESA for a tier 1 level grant amount;
(ii)
a 15% match by the LEA or RESA for a tier 2 level grant amount; and
(iii)
a 20% match by the LEA or RESA for a tier 3 level grant amount.
(5)
In accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, the
state board shall make rules:
(a)
subject to legislative appropriations, outlining the grant amount for each program tier
described in Subsection
(4)(b)
;
(b)
describing the application requirements, including:
(i)
the required format for submission; and
(ii)
relevant deadlines;
(c)
establishing a scoring rubric; and
(d)
describing any required reporting and performance measures.
(6)
An LEA or RESA that receives a grant under this section shall use the grant award for
an eligible initiative to achieve the purposes described in Subsection
(2)
, including:
(a)
allowing a teacher to add to or be released from all or part of an existing teacher
contract to engage in teacher leader work, which may involve a new or amended
contract for a master teacher, for a period determined by the LEA and the teacher,
while maintaining the master teacher's status as a teacher;
(b)
providing extended contracts outside of steps and lanes, resulting in increased pay
for increased work or for new roles involving teacher leader work on a schedule
outside of steps and lanes as determined by the LEA or RESA and the teacher; and
(c)
building or expanding LEA or RESA leadership tracks, including incentives for
differentiated teacher leader work pay scales for classroom teachers.
(7)
The state board may use up to 6.25% of the money appropriated for the purposes
described in this section to pay for administrative costs the state board, an LEA, or a
RESA incurs in implementing the program.
(8)
Upon request of the Education Interim Committee, an LEA that receives a grant and the
state board shall report to the Education Interim Committee on the program's progress
and outcomes.
Section 2. Section
63I-2-253
is amended to read:
63I-2-253
Effective
05/06/26
. Repeal dates: Titles 53 through 53G.
(1)
Title
53, Chapter 2c
, COVID-19 Health and Economic Response Act, is repealed July 1,
2026.
(2)
Section
53-22-104.1
, School Security Task Force -- Membership -- Duties -- Per diem --
Report -- Expiration, is repealed December 31, 2025.
(3)
Section
53-22-104.2
, The School Security Task Force --
Public
Education Advisory
Board, is repealed December 31, 2025.
(4)
Section
53-25-103
, Airport dangerous weapon possession reporting requirements, is
repealed December 31, 2031.
(5)
Subsection
53-25-602(4)(b)
, regarding the rights of a peace officer placed onto a
prosecution agency's Brady identification system before May 7, 2025, is repealed
December 1, 2025.
(6)
Subsection
53-29-302(2)(b)(ii)
, regarding the requirement for the Department of
Corrections to submit the results of risk assessments for sex offenders to the State
Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, is repealed January 1, 2030.
(7)
Subsection
53E-3-501(7)(e)(ii)
, regarding a report on the packet method, is repealed
July 1, 2028.
(8)
Subsection
53F-2-504(6)
, regarding a report on the Salary Supplement for Highly
Needed Educators, is repealed July 1, 2026.
(9)
Section
53F-5-221
, Management of energy and water use pilot program, is repealed July
1, 2028.
(10)
Section
53F-5-222
, Mentoring and Supporting Teacher Excellence and Refinement
Pilot Program, is repealed July 1, 2028.
(11)
(10)
Section
53F-5-223
, Stipends for Future Educators Grant Program, is repealed
July 1, 2028.
(12)
(11)
Subsection
53G-11-502(1)
, regarding implementation of the educator evaluation
process, is repealed July 1, 2029.
(13)
(12)
Section
53G-11-506
, Establishment of educator evaluation program -- Joint
committee, is repealed July 1, 2029.
(14)
(13)
Section
53G-11-507
, Components of educator evaluation program, is repealed
July 1, 2029.
(15)
(14)
Section
53G-11-508
, Summative evaluation timelines -- Review of summative
evaluations, is repealed July 1, 2029.
(16)
(15)
Section
53G-11-509
, Mentor for provisional educator, is repealed July 1, 2029.
(17)
(16)
Section
53G-11-510
, State board to describe a framework for the evaluation of
educators, is repealed July 1, 2029.
(18)
(17)
Section
53G-11-511
, Rulemaking for privacy protection, is repealed July 1, 2029.
(19)
(18)
Subsection
53G-11-520(1)
, regarding optional alternative educator evaluation
processes, is repealed July 1, 2029.
(20)
(19)
Subsection
53G-11-520(2)
, regarding an exception from educator evaluation
process requirements, is repealed July 1, 2029.
Section 3.
FY 2027 Appropriations.
The following sums of money are appropriated for the fiscal year beginning July 1,
2026, and ending June 30, 2027. These are additions to amounts previously appropriated for
fiscal year 2027.
Subsection 3(a).
Operating and Capital Budgets
Under the terms and conditions of Title 63J, Chapter 1, Budgetary Procedures Act, the
Legislature appropriates the following sums of money from the funds or accounts indicated for
the use and support of the government of the state of Utah.
PUBLIC EDUCATION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
ITEM 1
State Board of Education - State Board and Administrative Operations
From Public Education Economic Stabilization
Restricted Account, One-time
2,400,000
Teacher Excellence Program
2,400,000
Section 4.
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on
May 6, 2026
.
3-6-26 6:52 PM