H.J.R. 13

1

JOINT RESOLUTION - TEACHER
2 PERFORMANCE PAY
3 2009 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Chief Sponsor: Marie H. Poulson
6 Senate Sponsor: Karen W. Morgan
7
8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This joint resolution of the Legislature recommends that performance pay or
11 differentiated pay plans for public school teachers be developed using certain guiding
12 principles.
13 Highlighted Provisions:
14 This resolution:
15 . recommends that the goal of any future efforts to develop performance pay or
16 differentiated pay plans for public school teachers should be to ensure that there is a
17 quality teacher in every classroom; and
18 . recommends that the plan should promote student achievement and support quality
19 instruction, be adequately funded by a sustainable revenue source, promote
20 collaboration, be flexible and responsive to local needs, use fair and objective
21 criteria, be open to all who are eligible, and be in alignment with existing programs
22 and school improvement plans.
23 Special Clauses:
24 None
25
26 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
27 WHEREAS, the citizens of Utah believe in and value the importance of a quality

28 education for all children;
29 WHEREAS, 95% of all Utah's school-aged children attend its public schools;
30 WHEREAS, the single most important factor in ensuring a child's educational progress
31 is having a high quality teacher in the classroom;
32 WHEREAS, the state of Utah faces a current teacher shortage that is projected to
33 worsen over the next ten years;
34 WHEREAS, Utah must maintain its ability to compete with neighboring states in both
35 attracting and retaining high quality teachers;
36 WHEREAS, over the past few years, the Legislature and the Governor have made
37 significant efforts to increase base pay for Utah's public school teachers;
38 WHEREAS, despite the current economic crisis, this commitment to fund a
39 competitive base pay for public school teachers will remain the most critical component of a
40 comprehensive compensation plan;
41 WHEREAS, Utah should promote new and innovative strategies to increase teacher pay
42 that are developed collaboratively with teachers rather than imposed upon them;
43 WHEREAS, other states have experienced success with differentiated pay strategies
44 that have been developed with input and participation from all public education stakeholders;
45 and
46 WHEREAS, the time has come for the state of Utah to begin in earnest to examine
47 differentiated pay proposals in collaboration with all public education stakeholders in a
48 comprehensive manner:
49 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah
50 recommends that the goal of any future efforts to develop performance pay or differentiated
51 pay plans for public school teachers should be to ensure that there is a quality teacher in every
52 classroom, and that the plan should promote student achievement and support quality
53 instruction, be adequately funded by a sustainable revenue source, promote collaboration, be
54 flexible and responsive to local needs, use fair and objective criteria, be open to all who are
55 eligible, and should be in alignment with existing programs and school improvement plans.
56 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Utah State
57 Board of Education, the Utah School Boards Association, and the Utah Education Association.

Legislative Review Note
as of 1-26-09 9:17 AM

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel