EDUCATION INTERIM COMMITTEE
Wednesday, November 16, 2022 | 1:15 PM | 445 State Capitol

1.    Committee Business

·         Call to order

·         Approval of the minutes of the October 19, 2022 meeting

 

2.    Public Education: School Districts Responses

Representatives from school districts will provide a response to two agenda items from the October committee meeting: (1) Local School Boards, and (2) Update on H.B. 374, Sensitive Materials in Schools.

·         Representatives from: Alpine School District, Davis District, Park City School District

·         Committee discussion

 

3.    Public Education: School Accountability System Redesign

The Utah School Accountability System Working Group met during 2021 and 2022 to update Utah’s school accountability system; the committee will receive an update on their final report. The committee also received an update on the progress of this working group during the June 2022 committee meeting.

·         Utah State Board of Education representatives

·         Committee discussion

 

4.    Legislative Audit: A Performance Audit of Curriculum and Teacher Training in Public Education

The committee will hear a report from Office of Legislative Auditor General Staff on report #2022-12, A Performance Audit of Curriculum and Teacher Training in Public Education. The Legislative Audit Subcommittee assigned this audit on October 24, 2022.

·         Office of Legislative Auditor General staff

·         Utah State Board of Education officials

·         Committee discussion

 

5.    Draft Legislation: “Reading Software Amendments”

S.B. 127 (2022 General Session) directs the Utah State Board of Education to establish strategies and administer programs to improve early literacy outcomes for students in kindergarten through grade 3. This bill draft clarifies that a statistical requirement enacted in S.B. 127 does not apply to reading software.

·         Committee staff

·         Public comment

·         Committee discussion and action


 

6.    Higher Education: Utah Tech Heritage Commission

The committee will receive an update on Utah Tech University’s Heritage Commission. In 2021, the Legislature changed the name of Dixie State University to Utah Tech University and required the institution to establish a Heritage Committee to identify and implement strategies to preserve the culture and history of the region on the campus (H.B. 278, 2021 General Session; H.B. 2001, 2021 Second Special Session).

·         Utah Tech University Heritage Committee representatives

·         Committee discussion

 

7.    Higher Education: Higher Education and Corrections Council

The committee will receive an update on the work of the Higher Education and Corrections Council, created by H.B. 226 (2022 General Session) to make recommendations about the development and delivery of higher education curriculum to persons incarcerated in Utah’s correctional facilities.

·         USHE Staff

·         Committee discussion

 

8.    Draft Committee Legislation: “Educator Growth Plan Framework”

On June 15, 2022, the committee opened a bill file to update the state’s educator performance evaluations, as addressed in audit #2022-03, A Performance Audit of Teacher and Principal Performance Within Utah’s Public Education System. Office of Legislative Auditor General staff presented this audit during the June 2022 committee meeting.  

·         Committee staff

·         Public comment

·         Committee discussion and action

 

9.    Draft Committee Legislation: “Charter School Governing Board Training”

On September 21, 2022, the committee opened a bill file to establish training requirements for members of charter school governing boards, as recommended in audit #2021-19, A Performance Audit of Utah’s Charter School Governance Structure. Office of Legislative Auditor General staff presented during the November 2021 interim committee meeting.

·         Committee staff

·         Public comment

·         Committee discussion and action

 

10. Draft Committee Legislation: “Superintendent Annual Report Amendments”

On September 21, 2022, the committee opened a bill file to require the Superintendent’s Annual Report to include information about teacher turnover rates and teachers’ reasons for leaving, as recommended in audit #2021-04, A Performance Audit of the Utah State Board of Education’s Internal Governance. Office of the Legislative Auditor General staff presented this audit during the May 2021 interim committee meeting.

·         Committee staff

·         Public comment

·         Committee discussion and action


 

 

11. Public Education: Chronic Absenteeism and Truancy Working Group Recommendations

The committee will hear a presentation on recommendations from a working group established to addressed chronic absenteeism and truancy.

·         Representative Dan Johnson

·         Brett Peterson, Director, Division of Juvenile Justice and Youth Services

·         Patty Norman, Deputy Superintendent of Student Achievement, Utah State Board of Education

·         Committee discussion

 

12. Adjourn