Summary of Bills in the Best Schools Initiative: Class Size Reduction in Grades K-3 SB31 Senator Karen Morgan

SB31 is a five year plan to limit the number of students in academic classes. The caps would be as follows:18 in kindergarten, 20 in first grade, 22 in second grade and 24 in third grade. Or, it would require teachers aides, known as paraprofessionals, in larger classes. Paraprofessionals for Struggling Schools Not yet numbered Senator Karen Mayne Under the proposal, struggling schools would be able to hire additional paraprofessionals to assist teachers in the classroom and work individually with students who may not be receiving the attention they need. Concurrent Resolution Encouraging Parental Engagement in the Education of Children Not yet numbered Senator Patricia Jones A key to children doing well in school is for parents to be involved in their education. This concurrent resolution will encourage parents, communities, and neighborhoods to be engaged in Utahs schools so that our children may have every opportunity to succeed. Publication of Education Fund Revenue Reductions SB117 Senator Ben McAdams SB117 introduces a plan to restructure our education fund by prioritizing growth. Targeted Help for Underachieving Students Not Yet Numbered Representative Brian Doughty
Designed specifically to increase academic achievement, this bill will create additional assistance for scholastic after-school programs such as tutoring.

Teacher Mentoring Bill Summary Not Yet Numbered Representative Carol Spackman Moss This bill would appropriate funds for a school district to implement a program called Peer Assistance and Review using expert teachers to conduct regular evaluations for novice teachers and underperforming veterans. Although it places much of the evaluation responsibility on peers, it requires a team of teachers and administrators to manage it. It would address two problems: (1) Nearly half of all teachers leave the profession within five years (2) The growing concern about the continued employment of ineffective teachers. This program would also provide struggling teachers with intensive assistance and assessments of progress.

College and Career Counseling for High School Students HB65 Representative Patrice Arent Appropriates new funding to create the College and Career Counseling for High School Students Pilot Program. The goal of the program is to increase the number of students pursuing post-secondary education by having a counselor who is a specialist in the college admissions process and scholarships. The State Office of Education will provide 18 specialists using interns who are students in college masters programs studying high school counseling. These students will be given special training on admissions and scholarships, then placed with high schools. This program is necessary because Utah's high school counselors have some of the highest workloads in the nation. On average, Utah high school counselors work with over 360 students, well above the recommended number. Many high school counselors are barely able to keep up with making sure their students are registered for the right classes and deal with problems that occur on a daily basis. With respect to college counseling, students get limited help. It takes specialized knowledge to understand the complexities of the college admissions process and identify scholarship opportunities, particularly for some of the very competitive colleges outside our state. High schools that have these specialists are much more successful getting their students into post secondary programs and obtaining scholarships. The pilot program will utilize the resources of Utah's new online program utahfutures.org Quality Teachers Not Yet Numbered Representative Brian King This bill will put into place a more fair and streamlined process for identifying and either remediating or terminating teachers who fall below accepted performance standards. Resolution on World-Class Curriculum Not Yet Numbered Representative Marie Poulson While we recognize that competency in reading, writing and math is the foundation for all other learning, and that these core subjects must be a major focus for schools, a quality education goes far beyond competency in these core subjects. For Utah's children we want to have quality education, not test-orientated education. Our public schools must have a rich and diverse curriculum that allows students to soar and not just to score--a strong core curriculum, along with a wide variety of electives and broad enrichment opportunities that include the arts, music, science, history, literature, foreign languages, physical education, career and technology training . Narrowing the curriculum in response to grading schools and evaluating teachers has already prompted some districts to drop art, physical education and other non-tested subjects. It is imperative that Utah's children have a rich, diverse, world-class curriculum to provide them with the tools to be creative, innovative, and critical thinkers-the most sought after assets in the 21st century.

Resolution On Student Health and School Efficiency HJR 001 Representative Mark Wheatley This resolution encourages the Utah State Board of Education to consider the broader application of the design and construction practices for green schools, both for new construction and major renovation projects undertaken with school district funds in order to increase the health and well-being of students and faculty, as well as greater efficiency in schools. Professional Preparation Not Yet Numbered Representative Joel Briscoe Rep. Briscoe's bill will provide every Utah teacher an additional day to prepare for school. Professional preparation days were cut in almost every Utah school district the past three years as school district struggled to balance budgets. Additional time to prepare for the school year is an important part of supporting quality teachers.

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