H.B. 88

1

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION CO-TEACHING
2 PILOT PROGRAM
3 2008 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Chief Sponsor: Jim Bird
6 Senate Sponsor: Patricia W. Jones
7
8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This bill creates an optional grant program to provide an elementary education
11 co-teaching pilot program.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This bill:
14 . creates the Elementary Education Co-teaching Pilot Program to provide grants to
15 charter schools and school districts to pay for costs relating to adopting the
16 program;
17 . requires the State Board of Education to solicit grant proposals from charter schools
18 and school districts and award grants on a competitive basis;
19 . directs the State Board of Education, in selecting grant recipients, to consider:
20 . certain benefits that may be achieved by a school district's adoption of the
21 program; and
22 . the unique circumstances of charter schools and school districts; and
23 . requires the State Board of Education to make a report for three years.
24 Monies Appropriated in this Bill:
25 This bill appropriates:
26 . as an ongoing appropriation subject to future budget constraints, $5,000,000 from
27 the Uniform School Fund for fiscal year 2008-09 to the State Board of Education.

28 Other Special Clauses:
29 This bill takes effect on July 1, 2008.
30 Utah Code Sections Affected:
31 ENACTS:
32 53A-17a-154, Utah Code Annotated 1953
33
34 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
35 Section 1. Section 53A-17a-154 is enacted to read:
36 53A-17a-154. Elementary Education Co-teaching Pilot Program.
37 (1) As used in this section, "co-teaching" means the assignment of two licensed
38 teachers to one classroom of elementary students, with classroom instruction being provided by
39 both teachers.
40 (2) (a) The Elementary Education Co-teaching Pilot Program is created to provide a
41 financial incentive for charter schools and school districts to adopt co-teaching pilot programs.
42 (b) The potential benefits of the program include:
43 (i) increased individualized assistance and intervention for students, including teacher
44 focus on the special needs of an individual student without delaying the progress of other
45 students in the class;
46 (ii) enhanced classroom management and discipline;
47 (iii) opportunities to increase the support, training, mentoring, and evaluation of a
48 teacher by a pairing with an experienced, high performing teacher; and
49 (iv) class size and pupil-teacher ratio reductions without additional capital facilities
50 costs.
51 (3) From monies appropriated for the Elementary Education Co-teaching Pilot
52 Program, the State Board of Education shall award grants to charter schools and school districts
53 to pay for costs related to the adoption and implementation of the program.
54 (4) The State Board of Education shall:
55 (a) solicit proposals from the State Charter School Board and school districts for the
56 use of grant monies to facilitate the adoption and implementation of the program; and
57 (b) award grants on a competitive basis.
58 (5) The State Charter School Board shall:

59 (a) solicit proposals from charter schools that may be interested in participating in the
60 Elementary Education Co-teaching Pilot Program;
61 (b) prioritize the charter school proposals and consolidate them into the equivalent of a
62 single school district request; and
63 (c) submit the consolidated request to the State Board of Education.
64 (6) In selecting a grant recipient, the State Board of Education shall consider:
65 (a) the degree to which a charter school or school district's proposed adoption and
66 implementation of an extended year for math and science teachers achieves the benefits
67 described in Subsection (2);
68 (b) the unique circumstances of different urban, rural, large, small, growing, and
69 declining charter schools and school districts; and
70 (c) providing pilot programs in as many different school districts and charter schools as
71 possible.
72 (7) A school district or charter school may only use grant monies to provide the costs
73 of co-teaching.
74 (8) Participation in the Elementary Education Co-teaching Pilot Program shall be:
75 (a) voluntary for an individual teacher; and
76 (b) voluntary for a charter school or school district.
77 (9) The State Board of Education shall make an annual report during the 2009, 2010,
78 and 2011 interims to the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee describing the
79 program's impact on students and its effectiveness at achieving the benefits described in
80 Subsection (2).
81 Section 2. Appropriation.
82 As an ongoing appropriation subject to future budget constraints, there is appropriated
83 from the Uniform School Fund for fiscal year 2008-09, $5,000,000 to the State Board of
84 Education to fund the Elementary Education Co-teaching Pilot Program created in Section
85 53A-17a-154 .
86 Section 3. Effective date.
87 This bill takes effect on July 1, 2008.

Legislative Review Note
as of 11-15-07 4:24 PM

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel