School-based Speech-language Pathologist Funding Amendments

9
53F-2-504
53F-2-527
0
School-based Speech-language Pathologist Funding Amendments
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Jill Koford
Senate Sponsor: Ann Millner
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill amends definitions related to teaching supplies and a certain salary supplement.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
amends certain definitions and provisions to expand eligibility related to appropriations
for:
teaching supplies; and
salary supplements; and
makes technical and conforming changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
This bill provides a special effective date.
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
53F-2-504
Effective
07/01/26
Partially Repealed
07/01/26
, as last amended by Laws
of Utah 2025, Chapter 394
53F-2-527
Effective
07/01/26
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2025, Chapter 6
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section
53F-2-504
is amended to read:
53F-2-504
Effective
07/01/26
Partially Repealed
07/01/26
. Salary Supplement
for Highly Needed Educators.
(1)
As used in this section:
(a)
(i)
"Eligible teacher" means a teacher who:
(i)
(A)
has a qualifying assignment;
(ii)
(B)
qualifies for the teacher's assignment in accordance with an LEA's policy
described in Subsection
(2)
; and
(iii)
(C)
(A)
(I)
is a new employee; or
(B)
(II)
has not received an unsatisfactory rating on the teacher's three most
recent evaluations.
(ii)
"Eligible teacher" includes a:
(A)
speech-language pathologist; and
(B)
speech-language technician.
(b)
"High-needs area" means at least two and up to five
teaching
assignments that an
LEA designates in a policy as challenging to fill or retain.
(c)
"Program" means the Salary Supplement for Highly Needed Educators program.
(d)
"Qualifying assignment" means
a teacher who is assigned to a high-needs area
an
assignment to a high-needs area
.
(2)
(a)
An LEA shall create a policy describing the administration of the Salary
Supplement for Highly Needed Educators program within the LEA, including:
(i)
identifying the LEA's high-needs areas;
(ii)
the amount of the salary supplement;
(iii)
establishing an appeals process for
a teacher
an individual
to follow if the
teacher
individual
does not receive a salary supplement, including:
(A)
allowing a teacher to appeal eligibility as an eligible teacher with a qualifying
assignment on the basis that the teacher has a teaching assignment that is
substantially equivalent to a high-needs area; and
(B)
requiring
a teacher
an individual
to provide transcripts and other
documentation to the LEA governing board in order for the LEA governing
board to determine if the
teacher
individual
is an eligible teacher with a
qualifying
teaching
background;
(iv)
a process for determining if
a teacher
an individual
is an eligible teacher,
including a verification process; and
(v)
a process for certifying a list of eligible teachers
to be awarded
whom the LEA
awards
a salary supplement under this section.
(b)
An LEA shall update the policy described in Subsection
(2)(a)
annually and provide
notice of any changes to
teachers
potential eligible teachers
within the LEA.
(3)
Subject to legislative appropriations and an LEA having the policy described in
Subsection
(2)
, the state board shall allocate funding appropriated for the Salary
Supplements
Supplement
for Highly Needed Educators program in accordance with this
section by:
(a)
for charter schools:
(i)
distributing an amount that is equal to the product of:
(A)
charter school enrollment on October 1 in the prior year, or, for a new charter
school, projected enrollment for a charter school in the charter school's first
year of operations, divided by enrollment on October 1 in public schools
statewide in the prior year; and
(B)
the total amount available for distribution; and
(ii)
allocating to each charter school:
(A)
an equally divided portion of 20% of the amount described in Subsection
(3)(a)(i)
; and
(B)
80% of the amount described in Subsection
(3)(a)(i)
on a per-student basis; and
(b)
for school districts and the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind
:
,
(i)

distributing the remainder of funds available for distribution after the
distribution to charter schools under Subsection
(3)(a)(i)
by allocating to each
school district:
(A)
(i)
an equally divided portion of 20% of the amount described in Subsection
(3)(b)(i)
; and
(B)
(ii)
80% of the amount described in Subsection
(3)(b)(i)
on a per-student basis.
(c)
(4)
An LEA shall use funds described in Subsections
(3)(a)
and
(3)(b)
to pay the LEA's
proportional part of an eligible teacher's salary supplement if:
(i)
(a)
the eligible teacher is an employee of a regional education service agency, as
defined in Section
53G-4-410
; and
(ii)
(b)
the LEA is a member of the regional education service agency that employs the
eligible teacher.
(4)
(5)
(a)
An LEA shall include employer-paid benefits in the amount of each salary
supplement.
(b)
Employer-paid benefits are an addition to the salary supplement amount
established
by an LEA
an LEA establishes
under Subsection
(2)
.
(5)
(6)
The salary supplement is part of an eligible teacher's base pay, subject to eligible
teacher's qualification as an eligible teacher every year, semester, or quarter.
(6)
(7)
The state board shall annually report to the Education Interim Committee:
(a)
which
teaching
assignments LEAs have designated as high-needs; and
(b)
the number of eligible teachers.
(7)
(8)
An LEA may increase the amount of funds the LEA provides to the LEA's
eligible

teachers under the program if the LEA:
(a)
first ensures proper distribution of funds the LEA receives under the program to the
the

LEA's
eligible
teachers; and
(b)
experiences a carry forward or leftover balance.
Section 2. Section
53F-2-527
is amended to read:
53F-2-527
Effective
07/01/26
. Appropriations for teaching supplies and
materials.
(1)
As used in this section:
(a)
(i)
"Classroom teacher" means a teacher
who
that
:
(i)
(A)
is assigned by an LEA in
an LEA assigns to
a permanent
teacher
instructional or related service
position filled by one
teacher
individual
or two
or more job-sharing
teachers employed by an LEA
individuals an LEA
employs
;
(ii)
(B)
is licensed and paid on an LEA's salary schedule;
(iii)
(C)
is employed for an entire contract period; and
(iv)
(D)
is primarily responsible to provide instruction
, therapy,
or a combination
of instructional
, therapeutic,
and counseling services to
students in public
schools
a student in a public school
.
(ii)
"Classroom teacher" includes a:
(A)
speech-language pathologist; and
(B)
speech-language technician.
(b)
"Teaching supplies and materials" means consumable and non-consumable items
that are used for educational
or therapeutic
purposes by
teachers
a classroom teacher

in
a
classroom
activities
activity
that
are approved by the LEA
an LEA approves
.
(2)
For the fiscal year that begins on or after July 1, 2024, and except
Except
as provided
in Subsection
(3)
, the state board shall distribute money appropriated for teaching
supplies and materials as follows:
(a)
$500 to each classroom teacher position for pre-kindergarten special education and
kindergarten through grade 6; and
(b)
$250 to each classroom teacher position for grades 7 through 12.
(3)
If funding is insufficient to provide the per-teacher amounts described in Subsection
(2)
,
the state board may proportionally adjust the per-teacher amount based on the amount of
available funding.
Section 3.
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on
July 1, 2026
.
2-10-26 11:26 AM