Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

S.B. 251 First Substitute (2022GS)

Sponsor

Sen. Riebe, K.

Final action

Governor Signed 3/24/2022

Outcome

Became law — signed by Gov. Spencer J. Cox

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• permits a local education agency to select certain teachers as candidates for a scholarship award through the Grow Your Own Teacher and School Counselor Pipeline Program (program);
• allows scholarship money awarded through the program to be used for stipends for school counselor assistants;
• defines terms; and
• makes technical and conforming changes.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

GROW YOUR OWN TEACHER AND SCHOOL COUNSELOR
PIPELINE PROGRAM
GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Kathleen A. Riebe
House Sponsor: 
Jefferson Moss
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill makes changes to the Grow Your Own Teacher and School Counselor Pipeline
Program.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
▸ permits a local education agency to select certain teachers as candidates for a
scholarship award through the Grow Your Own Teacher and School Counselor
Pipeline Program (program);
▸ allows scholarship money awarded through the program to be used for stipends for
school counselor assistants;
▸ defines terms; and
▸ makes technical and conforming changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
53F-5-218
, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2021, Chapter 298
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section 
53F-5-218
 is amended to read:
53F-5-218.
Grow Your Own Teacher and School Counselor Pipeline Program.
(1) As used in this section:
(a) "Paraprofessional" means an individual who:
(i) works with students in an LEA as a paraprofessional or in a similar teaching
assistant position; and
(ii) is not licensed to teach.
(b) "Program" means the Grow Your Own Teacher and School Counselor Pipeline
Program that this section creates.
(c) "School counselor" means an educator who is:
(i) licensed as a school counselor in accordance with state board rule; and
(ii) assigned to provide direct and indirect services to students in accordance with a
school counseling program model that the state board provides.
(d) "School counselor assistant" means a student who is:
(i) enrolled in an accredited bachelor's degree program in a related field; and
(ii) completing the student's practicum experience in a school counseling department
under the supervision of a licensed school counselor.
(e) "School counselor intern" means a student who is:
(i) enrolled in an accredited school counselor master's degree program; and
(ii) completing the student's hours of a supervised counseling internship by applying
appropriate school counseling techniques under the supervision of a licensed school counselor.
(f) "Teacher" means an educator who has an assignment to teach in a classroom.
(2) The Grow Your Own Teacher and School Counselor Pipeline Program is a
competitive grant program created to provide funding to LEAs to award scholarships to
paraprofessionals, 
teachers,
 school counselor assistants, and school counselor interns within the
LEA for education and training to become licensed teachers or licensed school counselors.
(3) The state board shall use money appropriated for the program to provide funding to
LEAs that are awarded grants under the program to award scholarships to eligible candidates
whom principals within the LEA nominate, in an amount that the state board determines.
(4) An LEA that participates in the program may select a candidate for a scholarship
award if:
(a) the candidate is a resident of the state; and
(b) (i) for a paraprofessional:
(A) a school district or charter school has employed the candidate as a paraprofessional
for at least one year before entering the program; or
(B) subject to Subsection (5), the candidate has experience outside the school district,
charter school, or state that is equivalent to the experience described in Subsection (4)(b)[
(ii)
]
(i)(A)
;
(ii) for a teacher, the candidate:
(A) was a paraprofessional who was awarded a scholarship;
(B) was offered employment as a teacher before the teacher completed the training to
become a professionally licensed teacher; and
(C) is working as a teacher for the same LEA where the teacher previously worked as a
paraprofessional and was awarded the scholarship.
[
(ii)
] 
(iii)
 for a school counselor assistant, the candidate:
(A) is enrolled in a bachelor's degree program in a related field; and
(B) demonstrates a commitment to continue the school counselor assistant's education
after graduation in school counseling; or
[
(iii)
] 
(iv)
 for a school counselor intern, the candidate is enrolled in an accredited
school counselor master's degree program accredited by:
(A) the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; or
(B) another regionally recognized accrediting body that meets the state board's
standards for school counselor education programs.
(5) The percentage of an LEA's paraprofessional scholarship recipients who are eligible
for a scholarship using equivalent experience under Subsection (4)(b)(i)(B) may not exceed
20%.
(6) A scholarship award under the program may only be used for:
(a) tuition, books, fees, and certification tests for required coursework and licensure;
(b) stipends for mentors 
or school counselor assistants
; and
(c) if the LEA pays 0.15 of a full-time equivalent and all employee benefits, payment
of a 0.35 full-time equivalent for:
(i) a paraprofessional, up to one semester of student teaching; or
(ii) a school counselor assistant or school counselor intern, up to two semesters of
practicum or internship hours.
(7) A paraprofessional scholarship recipient must be continuously employed as a
paraprofessional by the paraprofessional's LEA while pursuing a degree using scholarship
money under the program.
(8) The state board shall make rules in accordance with this section and Title 63G,
Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, to administer the program, including rules
regarding:
(a) grant and scholarship application procedures;
(b) procedures for distributing scholarship money;
(c) assignment and eligibility of qualified mentors;
(d) stipends for mentors 
or school counselor assistants
;
(e) administrative costs for regional education service agencies, as that term is defined
in Section 
53G-4-410
; and
(f) eligibility requirements for potential candidates for scholarships regarding the
completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the acceptance of other grants,
tuition or fee waivers, and scholarships offered to the candidate.