Educator Salary Adjustment

4
53F-2-405
0
Educator Salary Adjustment
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: John Arthur
Senate Sponsor:
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill repeals a provision that makes the amount of the educator salary adjustment
dependent on the operation of the Utah Fits All Scholarship Program.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
repeals a provision that makes the amount of the educator salary adjustment dependent on
the operation of the Utah Fits All Scholarship Program; and
makes technical changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
This bill provides a special effective date.
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
53F-2-405
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2025, Chapter 165
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section
53F-2-405
is amended to read:
53F-2-405
. Educator salary adjustments.
(1)
As used in this section, "educator" means a person employed by a school district,
charter school, regional education service agency, or the Utah Schools for the Deaf and
the Blind who holds:
(a)
(i)
a license issued by the state board; and
(ii)
a position as a:
(A)
classroom teacher;
(B)
speech pathologist;
(C)
librarian or media specialist;
(D)
preschool teacher;
(E)
mentor teacher;
(F)
teacher specialist or teacher leader;
(G)
guidance counselor;
(H)
audiologist;
(I)
psychologist; or
(J)
social worker; or
(b)
(i)
a license issued by the Division of Professional Licensing; and
(ii)
a position as a social worker.
(2)
In recognition of the need to attract and retain highly skilled and dedicated educators,
the Legislature shall annually appropriate money for educator salary adjustments,
subject to future budget constraints.
(3)
(a)
The state board shall distribute to each school district, each charter school, each
regional education service agency, and the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind
money that the Legislature appropriates for educator salary adjustments based on the
number of educator positions described in Subsection
(1)
in the school district, the
charter school, each regional education service agency, or the Utah Schools for the
Deaf and the Blind.
(b)
Notwithstanding Subsection
(3)(a)
, if appropriations are insufficient to provide the
full amount of educator salary adjustments described in this section, the state board
shall distribute money appropriated for educator salary adjustments to school
districts, charter schools, each regional education service agency, and the Utah
Schools for the Deaf and the Blind in proportion to the number of
full-time-equivalent educator positions in a school district, a charter school, each
regional education service agency, or the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind as
compared to the total number of full-time-equivalent educator positions in school
districts, charter schools, each regional education service agency, and the Utah
Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.
(4)
A school district, a charter school, each regional education service agency, or the Utah
Schools for the Deaf and the Blind shall award bonuses to educators as follows:
(a)
for fiscal year 2026, the amount of the salary adjustment for each
full-time-equivalent educator is
:

(i)
if
Chapter 6, Part 4, Utah Fits All Scholarship Program
, is funded and in effect,
$10,350;
or
(ii)
if
Chapter 6, Part 4, Utah Fits All Scholarship Program
, is not funded and in
effect, $5,175;
(b)
an individual who is not a full-time educator shall receive a partial salary adjustment
based on the number of hours the individual works as an educator;
(c)
a salary adjustment may not be awarded if an educator has received an unsatisfactory
rating on the educator's three most recent evaluations; and
(d)
for a fiscal year beginning on or after July 1, 2024, the amount of the salary
adjustment is equal to:
(i)
the amount of salary adjustment in the preceding fiscal year; and
(ii)
a percentage increase that is equal to the percentage increase in the value of the
WPU in the preceding fiscal year.
(5)
In accordance with
Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act
, the
state board:
(a)
shall make rules to ensure that the LEAs do not:
(i)
reduce or supplant a compensation increase from an increase in the WPU value
with an increase from the salary supplement in this section; or
(ii)
reduce or artificially limit a teacher's salary to convert the salary supplement in
this section into a windfall to the LEA; and
(b)
may make rules as necessary to administer this section.
(6)
(a)
Subject to future budget constraints, the Legislature shall appropriate sufficient
money each year to:
(i)
maintain educator salary adjustments provided in prior years; and
(ii)
provide educator salary adjustments to new employees.
(b)
Money appropriated for educator salary adjustments shall include money for the
following employer-paid benefits:
(i)
retirement;
(ii)
worker's compensation;
(iii)
social security; and
(iv)
Medicare.
(7)
(a)
Subject to future budget constraints, the Legislature shall:
(i)
maintain the salary adjustments provided to school administrators in the 2007-08
school year; and
(ii)
provide salary adjustments for new school administrators in the same amount as
provided for existing school administrators.
(b)
The appropriation provided for educator salary adjustments described in this section
shall include salary adjustments for school administrators as specified in Subsection
(7)(a)
.
(c)
In distributing and awarding salary adjustments for school administrators, the state
board, a school district, a charter school, each regional education service agency, or
the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind shall comply with the requirements for
the distribution and award of educator salary adjustments as provided in Subsections
(3)
and
(4)
.
Section 2.
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on
July 1, 2026
.
1-8-26 3:34 PM