Legislative Bills

HB0477 | Full-day Kindergarten Amendments

Description

General Description:

This bill makes full-day kindergarten available for all local education agencies with an option for half-day kindergarten.

Highlighted Provisions:

This bill:
13 ▸ amends provisions related to scholarship amounts tied to the length of a
14 kindergarten class;
15 ▸ amends funding formulas related to kindergarten to reflect a full-day length of a
16 kindergarten class;
17 ▸ requires local education agency governing boards to provide an optional half-day
18 kindergarten class upon request;

Bill Details

Bill Number:

HB0477

Year:

2023

Status:

Governor Signed

Last Action:

Mar 17, 2023

Fiscal Note

Fiscal Note Amount:

None

View Fiscal Note

Utah PTA Response

Utah PTA Position

Support

Utah PTA Resolution:

EDU 2022-1 | Full-Day Kindergarten

Impact on Children:

Compared to half-day kindergarten, full-day kindergarten is associated with greater academic gains for students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged, multilingual learners, and other students belonging to historically underserved groups in Utah and elsewhere. Access to full-day kindergarten for all families who choose to participate will help Utah close the achievement gap between socioeconomic and ethnic groups. Full-day kindergarten is nationally and internationally recognized as educational best practice.

Commission:

Family Life

Utah PTA Public Policy Program

National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions:

Resolved, That Utah PTA supports the expansion of optional full-day kindergarten programs for students in need of support to achieve minimal learning standards and requests increased funding to support such expansion.

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.

HB0478S01 | Minimum Basic Tax Rate Reduction

Description

General Description:

This bill amends provisions related to the basic tax rate to fund public education.

Highlighted Provisions:

"12 ▸ amends the years in which a freeze is in effect on the minimum basic tax rate;
13 ▸ repeals the weighted pupil unit (WPU) value rate;
14 ▸ repeals a study and reporting requirement related to the WPU value rate"

Bill Details

Bill Number:

HB0478S01

Year:

2022

Status:

House/ filed

Last Action:

Mar 04, 2022

Fiscal Note

Fiscal Note Amount:

None

View Fiscal Note

Utah PTA Response

Utah PTA Position

Oppose

Utah PTA Resolution:

EDU 2021-1 | Education Funding (retired)

Impact on Children:

Less funding for public education will have detrimental impact on students' learning and performance. There is concern that our school districts are relying on additional funds to continually to implement their Teacher and Student Success Plans. The funding will continue at the current levels which will stagnate and not grow with inflation.

Commission:

Education

HB0479 | Mental Health Wellbeing in Schools Pilot Program

Description

General Description:

This bill creates a one-year pilot program to address mental health in schools.

Bill Details

Bill Number:

HB0479

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 w/ Comment

Utah PTA supports and encourages training and education on mental health, however, we believe in local decisions on programs used.

Utah PTA Resolution:

HEA 2019-1 | Prevention & Promotion of Health Behaviors

HEA 2019-2 | Youth Suicide Prevention

Impact on Children:

Utah PTA and its constituent associations will participate and support methods to assess and recognize the risk and protective factors in their local schools, families, and communities;

Utah PTA and its constituent associations encourage the Utah Legislature to provide adequate funding to provide suicide prevention programs in every district and school in the State of Utah

Commission:

Safety

Utah PTA Public Policy Program

National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions:

That the National PTA and its branches encourage each community to make available mental health programs and services which will meet the needs of all children and youth.

Resolved, 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; and be it

Resolved, That National PTA and its constituent associations advocate for ongoing teacher and administrator training to improve the understanding of child emotional and mental health needs with emphasis on the importance of establishing a school climate conducive to good mental health; and be it

Resolved, That National PTA and its constituent associations promote educational programs for parents and families to strengthen understanding and supportive home environment; and be it

Resolved, The National PTA and its constituent associations support efforts to provide education and other supports for school staff and professional development to assist with addressing mental health issues with emphasis on early detection; and be it

Resolved, That National PTA and its constituent associations support and encourage reducing the stigma of mental illness and build a of understanding around children and youth mental health.

Utah PTA Legislative Policy:

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

Maximum local control when it serves the best interest of all children and youth.

Utah PTA Legislative Priorities:

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

Maximum local control when it serves the best interest of all children and youth.

Links

Resolution on Mental Health Programs and Services

HB0483S05 | School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration Modifications

Description

General Description:

This bill addresses provisions related to school and institutional trust lands.

Highlighted Provisions:

repeals the Land Trusts Protection and Advocacy Office that evaluates the proper role of beneficiary advocacy

Bill Details

Bill Number:

HB0483S05

Year:

2025

Status:

Governor Signed

Last Action:

Mar 27, 2025

Fiscal Note

Fiscal Note Amount:

None

View Fiscal Note

Utah PTA Response

Utah PTA Position

Oppose

Utah PTA Resolution:

EDU 2015-1 | School Trust Lands

Impact on Children:

The beneficiaries of Utah's Trustlands are the school children of Utah. Without the Land Trusts Protection and Advocacy Office looking out for the beneficiaries there is less protection on the trusts which could mean less money for our schools. The Advocacy office is an important check and balance in preserving the integrity and impact of the endowment for current and future beneficiaries.

Commission:

Trust Lands

Education

Utah PTA Public Policy Program

National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions:

That Utah PTA encourage State and local officials to take all necessary steps to assure that management of the School Trust Lands is in accordance with trust duties and principles including undivided loyalty to the beneficiaries, a duty to make trust property productive, a duty to keep and render accounts, and a duty to exercise prudence and skill in administering the trust, thereby obtaining much-needed revenue for Utah's public schools;

Files

Attachment	Size
HB 483 - Talking Points.pdf	170.96 KB

HB0485 | Special Education Amendments

Description

General Description:

This bill establishes a grant program to support co-teaching models for special education students.

Highlighted Provisions:

This bill establishes a grant program to support co-teaching models for special education students. This bill creates the Special Education Co-teacher Pilot Program (co-teaching program); outlines the requirements for a local education agency to receive a grant under the co-teaching program; provides rulemaking authority to the state board to administer the co-teaching program; and specifies allowable uses of grant funding.

Bill Details

Bill Number:

HB0485

Year:

2024

Status:

House/ filed

Last Action:

Mar 01, 2024

Fiscal Note

Fiscal Note Amount:

$5,000,000

This bill appropriates in fiscal year 2025: to State Board of Education - State Board and Administrative Operations - Special Education Co-teaching Program as a one-time appropriation: from the Public Education Economic Stabilization Restricted Account, One-time, $5,000,000

View Fiscal Note

Utah PTA Response

Utah PTA Position

Support

Utah PTA Resolution:

EDU 2022-2 | High Expectations for Student with Disabilities

Impact on Children:

This bill would provide more opportunities for special education students to have access to co-taught classes (usually taught by a general ed teacher and a special ed teacher). These types of classes have been shown to be very effective for students with special needs and to also benefit general education students who are struggling.

Commission:

Education

Utah PTA Public Policy Program

National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions:

Resolved, that Utah PTA and its constituent associations support schools in implementing best practices in meeting the needs of diverse students through such practices as inclusion, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), Response to Intervention (RTI), and any other similar instructional practices to support instruction from a Core content expert, and access to accommodations including assistive technology for students with disabilities, that these students be enabled to go as far as possible toward achieving their full potential and living a meaningful, fulfilling life.

Legislative Bills

Primary tabs