Current through Bulletin 2024-06, March 15, 2024
(1) On
or before December 1, the Superintendent shall:
(a) identify high poverty schools and
eligible teachers in accordance with Subsection (2);
(b) distribute a list of eligible teachers to
LEAs; and
(c) inform LEAs of
program requirements and the timeline for applying on behalf of an eligible
teacher.
(2) The
Superintendent shall identify:
(a) high
poverty schools based on the proportion of students who:
(i) qualify for free or reduced lunch in the
current school year, based on:
(A) the most
recent end of school year enrollment headcounts for existing schools;
or
(B) the October 1 enrollment
headcounts for new schools; and
(ii) are classified as children affected by
intergenerational poverty, as determined by the Utah Department of Workforce
Services, for the most recent year data is available; and
(b) eligible teachers by determining:
(i) whether the teacher's MGP was greater
than or equal to 70:
(A) for at least one
state-assessed subject taught by the teacher;
(B) as measured by student performance on a
standards assessment restricted to those students who were taught by the
teacher for a full academic year;
(C) two years before the current school year;
and
(D) excluding subjects or
teachers with less than ten tested students; or
(ii) for a teacher in kindergarten or grade
1, 2, or 3, whether at least 85% of the teacher's students assess as typical or
better on an end of year benchmark assessment.
(3) An eligible teacher who is part-time in a
regular or special education classroom assignment in the current year shall
receive a partial salary bonus based on the number of hours worked in the
classroom assignment.
(4) To
receive matching funds for the program, on or before January 15, an LEA shall:
(a) apply on behalf of an eligible teacher;
and
(b) provide assurances that the
LEA will pay half of the:
(i) teacher salary
bonus; and
(ii) employer-paid
benefits described in Section
53F-2-513.
(5)
(a)
Subject to legislative appropriations, on or before June 1, the Superintendent
shall:
(i) ensure that a teacher who was
determined eligible under Subsections (1) and (2) taught at a high poverty
school for the full school year; and
(ii) distribute to an LEA that meets the
criteria described in Subsection (4) half of the:
(A) teacher salary bonus; and
(B) employer-paid benefits described in
Section 53F-2-513.
(b) Consistent with Section 53F-2-513, the
Superintendent may distribute the funds on a pro rata basis if the number of
eligible applicants exceeds the amount of available funds.
(6)
(a) An
LEA or an eligible teacher may appeal eligibility to the Superintendent on the
basis that the teacher:
(i) is teaching at a
high poverty school;
(ii) is an
eligible teacher; or
(iii) has less
than ten tested students, but can demonstrate extenuating circumstances that
merit an exception.
(b)
An LEA or eligible teacher shall provide documentation to the Superintendent to
assist the Superintendent in deciding on the appeal.
(7) For purposes of determining whether a
teacher who teaches grade 4 is eligible for a salary bonus in the 2022-2023
school year, a teacher is eligible if at least 85% of the teacher's students'
progress is assessed as typical or better based on the beginning of year to end
of year benchmark assessment for 2020-2021 school year.
(8) An LEA that intends to apply on behalf of
an eligible teacher who teaches grade 4 for a salary bonus for the 2022-2023
school year, shall provide the Superintendent grade 4 benchmark assessment data
necessary to determine whether the LEA's grade 4 teachers meet the criteria
described in Subsection (7).
