Legislative Bills

|

Description

General Description:

Highlighted Provisions:

This bill provides that a law passed by a local school board, including a law imposing a new tax or a tax increase, may be referred to the voters of the school district for their approval or rejection.

Bill Details

Bill Number:

https://le.utah.gov/~2024/bills/static/HB0173.html

Year:

2024

Status:

Fiscal Note

Fiscal Note Amount:

View Fiscal Note

Utah PTA Response

Utah PTA Position

Pending

Utah PTA Resolution:

EDU 2023-1 | Education Funding

Impact on Children:

Making local school board decisions subject to referendum will increase uncertainty in board decisions and will cost LEAs more money by raising rates for loans. Will also make it difficult for them to enter into contracts and make other financial decisions.

Commission:

Education

Utah PTA Public Policy Program

National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions:

That Utah PTA and its constituent associations support the maintenance of a stable and adequate funding mechanism to support public education based on the following principles: enrollment growth; inflation; support of a K-12 education Economic Stabilization Restricted Account; funding the USBE Strategic Plan;

HB0174 | Psychiatry Medical Residents Amendments

Description

General Description:

This bill requires the University of Utah Health Sciences to select additional psychiatry residents.

Bill Details

Bill Number:

HB0174

Year:

2019

Status:

Governor Signed

Last Action:

Mar 28, 2019

Fiscal Note

Fiscal Note Amount:

None

View Fiscal Note

Utah PTA Response

Utah PTA Position

Pending

Impact on Children:

Bill is to provide more psychiatrists as we have a shortage of mental health professionals.

Commission:

Health

Education

Utah PTA Public Policy Program

National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions:

That National PTA and its constituent associations strongly encourage efforts to establish comprehensive community mental health providers to offer preventative and treatment services to children and adults and comprehensive school mental health programs that include adequate access to school psychologists, school counselors and school social workers;

Links

National PTA Resolution on Mental Health Programs and Services

HB0175S02 | Education Accountability Amendments

Description

General Description:

This bill provides that for the 2018-2019 school year, the State Board of Education is not required to assign to each school an overall rating using an A through F letter grading scale.

Bill Details

Bill Number:

HB0175S02

Year:

2020

Status:

House/ filed

Last Action:

Mar 12, 2020

Fiscal Note

Fiscal Note Amount:

None

View Fiscal Note

Utah PTA Response

Utah PTA Position

Support

Utah PTA Resolution:

EDU 2014-1 | Public School Accountability

Impact on Children:

Establishes a statewide accountability system that does not use letter grade but focuses on other metrics.

Perceptions of school quality may impact the hiring and retention of quality educators and support staff.

Commission:

Education

Utah PTA Public Policy Program

National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions:

Utah PTA Resolution EDU 2014-1 Public School Accountability
Resolved, That Utah PTA support systems of accountability for public schools that take into account qualitative characteristics, including a welcoming environment, family engagement efforts, administrative leadership, and community collaboration; in addition to quantitative measurements, such as educator qualifications, student absenteeism, average student tested proficiency and student academic growth; and be it further
Resolved, That Utah PTA advocates against the implementation of any accountability system that reduces the evaluation of a school to a single grade or score, that ranks schools beyond statistical confidence, and that grades on a bell curve;

Utah PTA Legislative Priorities:

3 - Support accountability for all public schools that take into account the needs of students, teachers, and communities.

Links

Utah PTA Resolution EDU 2014-1 Public School Accountability

HB0175S03 | School Fees Amendments

Description

General Description:

This bill amends and enacts provisions related to elementary and secondary school fees.

Highlighted Provisions:

1          This bill:
12          ▸     amends definitions;
13          ▸     prescribes the fees a local education agency (LEA) may charge a secondary school
14     student for a curricular or a co-curricular activity for a certain duration;
15          ▸     authorizes an LEA to charge a secondary school student a fee for an extracurricular
16     activity for a certain duration;
17          ▸     prohibits an LEA from charging a general fee;
18          ▸     amends provisions related to fees for textbooks;
19          ▸     prohibits charging a student in grade 6 a fee for a remediation program; and
20          ▸     makes technical and conforming changes.

Bill Details

Bill Number:

HB0175S03

Year:

2023

Status:

House/ filed

Last Action:

Mar 03, 2023

Fiscal Note

Fiscal Note Amount:

$35,000,000

This bill appropriates in fiscal year 2024: to State Board of Education -- Minimum School Program -- Related to Basic School Programs, as a one-time appropriation: from Uniform School Fund, One-time, $35,000,000.

View Fiscal Note

Utah PTA Response

Utah PTA Position

Oppose w/ Comment

This bill allocates $35 million to LEAs to finance the missing fees, however that funding is insufficient and if the funding is not appropriated will lead to an unfunded mandate.

Impact on Children:

The Utah constitution stipulates that “public elementary and secondary schools shall be free”. Eliminating school fees for families would relieve a significant burden for many families, however, if funding is inadequate or not provided, than students do not have a quality learning experience and LEAs must make up the difference taking funding from other important areas.

According to the census bureau annual public school Spending Per Pupil review, Utah consistently ranks in the bottom three in expenditures per student.

Commission:

Education

Utah PTA Public Policy Program

National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions:

Resolved, That Utah PTA and its constituent associations continue to urge the legislature to make public education revenue allocations and funding effort a high priority; and, be it further

Resolved, That Utah PTA and its constituent associations encourage the legislature to adequately fund critical educational needs, including but not limited to, class size reduction, teacher salaries, technology, programs, supplies, and evidenced-based practices that have an impact on student achievement;

Utah PTA Legislative Policy:

General Principles for Consideration of Proposed Legislation:

4. Prioritizing the needs of all children and youth, while adhering to fiscal responsibility in government.

Utah PTA Legislative Priorities:

1. EDUCATION FUNDING. Support an adequately funded public school system by: supporting a 6.5% WPU increase over and above growth and inflation to be used for purposes such as recruiting, supporting, and retaining teachers; supporting increased access to full-day kindergarten by funding K-12 students at a full WPU; and supporting policies to increase proficiency levels in public schools, improving attendance, and increase academic excellence for all Utah students.

HB0177S04 | Health Education Amendments

Description

General Description:

This bill amends provisions related to health education.

Highlighted Provisions:

This bill:
▸ requires the State Board of Education (state board) to establish curriculum
requirements that include instruction in:
• consent, including what does not constitute consent;
• sexual violence behavior prevention; and
• sexual assault resource strategies;
▸ amends provisions related to when a student receives health education instruction;
▸ requires a local education agency (LEA) to review data on sexual assault for each
county in which the LEA is located;

Bill Details

Bill Number:

HB0177S04

Year:

2021

Status:

House/ filed

Last Action:

Mar 05, 2021

Fiscal Note

Fiscal Note Amount:

None

View Fiscal Note

Utah PTA Response

Utah PTA Position

Support

While Utah PTA supports the concepts to be taught as proposed in this legislation, we are concerned about the conflict between the use of the word "consent" as defined in the bill and the legal definition of "consent." Legally, no minor can give "consent" to sexual activity with another person.

Utah PTA Resolution:

HEA 2000-3 | Sex Education in Public Schools (retired)

HEA 2010-1 | Home & Community Influence on Early Sexual Involvement (retired)

HEA 2010-2 | Additional School Strategies to Address Teen Sexual Involvement (retired)

Impact on Children:

This bill will add into our sexual education curriculum instruction that will empower students to gain knowledge and strategies to avoid and mitigate unwanted sexual advances.

When children are taught about consent, coercion; sexual violence behavior deterrence; and sexual assault mitigation they are better equipped to keep themselves safe and from experiencing sexually violent behavior. It would give them tools to express their limits and that they deserve to be treated in a respectful way.

Commission:

Safety

Utah PTA Public Policy Program

National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions:

That Utah PTA seek and promote state curriculum objectives which teach behavioral strategies to help students remain abstinent or resume abstinence until marriage

Resolved, That Utah PTA educate its membership about current statistics, trends, and protective and risk factors of early sexual involvement;

Resolved, That Utah PTA encourage state and local public campaigns to create a social expectation of premarital abstinence; and be it further
Resolved, That Utah PTA encourage our state and national legislators to support funding of programs that provide resources for parents to assume their role as primary sex educators of their children;

Resolved, That Utah PTA support varied counseling approaches outside of school course work, with parental permission, for those students who need additional sustained support to delay sexual involvement or return to sexual abstinence;

Utah PTA Legislative Policy:

To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, community, and place of worship.

Utah PTA Legislative Priorities:

5. Support measures to promote safe and healthy environments and behaviors for children to prevent suicide, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking,

Legislative Bills

Primary tabs