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7 Cosponsor:
8 Elizabeth Weight
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10 LONG TITLE
11 General Description:
12 This bill creates the Grow Your Own Teacher and School Counselor Pipeline Program
13 to provide scholarships to certain school employees.
14 Highlighted Provisions:
15 This bill:
16 ▸ defines terms;
17 ▸ creates the Grow Your Own Teacher and School Counselor Pipeline Program
18 (program) to provide scholarships to certain school employees;
19 ▸ establishes eligibility criteria and allowed uses for the program; and
20 ▸ requires the State Board of Education to make rules and administer the program.
21 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
22 This bill appropriates in fiscal year 2022:
23 ▸ to the State Board of Education - Minimum School Program - Related to Basic
24 School Programs, as a one-time appropriation:
25 • from the Uniform School Fund, One-time, $9,200,000.
26 Other Special Clauses:
27 None
28 Utah Code Sections Affected:
29 ENACTS:
30 53F-5-218, Utah Code Annotated 1953
31
32 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
33 Section 1. Section 53F-5-218 is enacted to read:
34 53F-5-218. Grow Your Own Teacher and School Counselor Pipeline Program.
35 (1) As used in this section:
36 (a) "Paraprofessional" means an individual who:
37 (i) works with students in an LEA as a paraprofessional or in a similar teaching
38 assistant position; and
39 (ii) is not licensed to teach.
40 (b) "Program" means the Grow Your Own Teacher and School Counselor Pipeline
41 Program that this section creates.
42 (c) "School counselor" means an educator who is:
43 (i) licensed as a school counselor in accordance with state board rule; and
44 (ii) assigned to provide direct and indirect services to students in accordance with a
45 school counseling program model that the state board provides.
46 (d) "School counselor assistant" means a student who is:
47 (i) enrolled in an accredited bachelor's degree program in a related field; and
48 (ii) completing the student's practicum experience in a school counseling department
49 under the supervision of a licensed school counselor.
50 (e) "School counselor intern" means a student who is:
51 (i) enrolled in an accredited school counselor master's degree program; and
52 (ii) completing the student's hours of a supervised counseling internship by applying
53 appropriate school counseling techniques under the supervision of a licensed school counselor.
54 (2) The Grow Your Own Teacher and School Counselor Pipeline Program is a
55 competitive grant program created to provide funding to LEAs to award scholarships to
56 paraprofessionals, school counselor assistants, and school counselor interns within the LEA for
57 education and training to become licensed teachers or licensed school counselors.
58 (3) The state board shall use money appropriated for the program to provide funding to
59 LEAs that are awarded grants under the program to award scholarships to eligible candidates
60 whom principals within the LEA nominate, in an amount that the state board determines.
61 (4) An LEA that participates in the program may select a candidate for a scholarship
62 award if:
63 (a) the candidate is a resident of the state; and
64 (b) (i) for a paraprofessional:
65 (A) a school district or charter school has employed the candidate as a paraprofessional
66 for at least one year before entering the program; or
67 (B) subject to Subsection (5), the candidate has experience outside the school district,
68 charter school, or state that is equivalent to the experience described in Subsection (4)(b)(ii);
69 (ii) for a school counselor assistant, the candidate:
70 (A) is enrolled in a bachelor's degree program in a related field; and
71 (B) demonstrates a commitment to continue the school counselor assistant's education
72 after graduation in school counseling; or
73 (iii) for a school counselor intern, the candidate is enrolled in an accredited school
74 counselor master's degree program accredited by:
75 (A) the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; or
76 (B) another regionally recognized accrediting body that meets the state board's
77 standards for school counselor education programs.
78 (5) The percentage of an LEA's paraprofessional scholarship recipients who are eligible
79 for a scholarship using equivalent experience under Subsection (4)(b)(i)(B) may not exceed
80 20%.
81 (6) A scholarship award under the program may only be used for:
82 (a) tuition, books, fees, and certification tests for required coursework and licensure;
83 (b) stipends for mentors; and
84 (c) if the LEA pays 0.15 of a full-time equivalent and all employee benefits, payment
85 of a 0.35 full-time equivalent for:
86 (i) a paraprofessional, up to one semester of student teaching; or
87 (ii) a school counselor assistant or school counselor intern, up to two semesters of
88 practicum or internship hours.
89 (7) A paraprofessional scholarship recipient must be continuously employed as a
90 paraprofessional by the paraprofessional's LEA while pursuing a degree using scholarship
91 money under the program.
92 (8) The state board shall make rules in accordance with this section and Title 63G,
93 Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, to administer the program, including rules
94 regarding:
95 (a) grant and scholarship application procedures;
96 (b) procedures for distributing scholarship money;
97 (c) assignment and eligibility of qualified mentors;
98 (d) stipends for mentors;
99 (e) administrative costs for regional education service agencies, as that term is defined
100 in Section 53G-4-410; and
101 (f) eligibility requirements for potential candidates for scholarships regarding the
102 completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the acceptance of other grants,
103 tuition or fee waivers, and scholarships offered to the candidate.
104 Section 2. Appropriation.
105 The following sums of money are appropriated for the fiscal year beginning July 1,
106 2021, and ending June 30, 2022. These are additions to amounts previously appropriated for
107 fiscal year 2022. Under the terms and conditions of Title 63J, Chapter 1, Budgetary Procedures
108 Act, the Legislature appropriates the following sums of money from the funds or accounts
109 indicated for the use and support of the government of the state of Utah.
110 ITEM 1
111 To State Board of Education - Minimum School Program - Related to Basic School
112 Programs
113 From Uniform School Fund, One-time
9,200,000
114 Schedule of Programs:
115 Grow Your Own Teacher and Counselor Pipeline 9,200,000
116 The Legislature intends that the State Board of Education:
117 (1) use the appropriated funds for two cohorts of scholarship recipients under Section
118 53F-5-218; and
119 (2) report to the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee during the 2023
120 interim regarding whether the Legislature should provide ongoing funding for additional
121 cohorts.