HB 163

Enrolled Copy  H.B. 163
1Grow Your Own Educator Pipeline Program Amendments
  2026 GENERAL SESSION
  STATE OF UTAH
  Chief Sponsor: Ryan D. Wilcox
  Senate Sponsor: John D. Johnson
  Cosponsor:
  Jason E. Thompson
2
3  LONG TITLE
4  General Description:
5      This bill expands scholarship eligibility to include licensed teachers pursuing special
6  education endorsements.
7  Highlighted Provisions:
8      This bill:
9      ▸ expands scholarship eligibility to include licensed teachers pursuing special education
10  endorsements; and
11      ▸ makes conforming changes.
12  Money Appropriated in this Bill:
13      None
14  Other Special Clauses:
15      None
16  Utah Code Sections Affected:
17  AMENDS:
18      53F-5-218, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapters 136, 342
19
20  Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
21Section 1. Section 53F-5-218 is amended to read:
2253F-5-218 . Grow Your Own Educator Pipeline Program.
23  (1) As used in this section:
24      (a) "Paraprofessional" means an individual who:
25(i) works with students in an LEA as a paraprofessional or in a similar teaching
H.B. 163  Enrolled Copy
26assistant position; and
27(ii) is not licensed to teach.
28      (b) "Program" means the Grow Your Own Educator Pipeline Program [that this section
29creates] created in this section.
30      (c) "School counselor" means an educator who is:
31(i) licensed as a school counselor in accordance with state board rule; and
32(ii) assigned to provide direct and indirect services to students in accordance with a
33school counseling program model that the state board provides.
34      (d) "School counselor assistant" means a student who is:
35(i) enrolled in an accredited bachelor's degree program in a related field; and
36(ii) completing the student's practicum experience in a school counseling department
37under the supervision of a licensed school counselor.
38      (e) "School counselor intern" means a student who is:
39(i) enrolled in an accredited school counselor master's degree program; and
40(ii) completing the student's hours of a supervised counseling internship by applying
41appropriate school counseling techniques under the supervision of a licensed
42school counselor.
43      (f) "School psychologist" means an individual:
44(i) whom the state board licenses to practice as a school psychologist; and
45(ii) who is assigned to provide direct and indirect services to students within the
46relevant school or LEA seeking program grant funding.
47      (g) "School social worker" means an individual:
48(i) whom the state board licenses as a school social worker; and
49(ii) who is assigned to provide direct and indirect services to students within the
50relevant school or LEA seeking program grant funding.
51      (h) "Special education teacher" means a teacher assigned to serve or teach a class of
52students with disabilities with a current educator license, a special education license
53area of concentration, or special education endorsement.
54      [(h)] (i) "Teacher" means an educator who has an assignment to teach in a classroom.
55   (2) The Grow Your Own Educator Pipeline Program is a competitive grant program created
56      to provide funding to LEAs to award scholarships to paraprofessionals, teachers, school
57      counselor assistants, and school counselor interns within the LEA for education and
58      training to become licensed teachers, licensed school counselors, licensed school
59      psychologists, or licensed school social workers.
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Enrolled Copy  H.B. 163
60  (3)(a) The state board shall use money appropriated for the program to provide funding
61      to LEAs that are awarded grants under the program to award scholarships to eligible
62      candidates.
63      (b) The state board shall:
64(i) determine the amount of an award an LEA receives under the program; and
65(ii) prioritize the amount of an award an LEA receives based upon an LEA's
66identified need.
67      (c) The principal within the participating LEA shall nominate a candidate for the
68scholarship awarded under this section.
69  (4) An LEA that participates in the program may select a candidate for a scholarship award
70      if:
71      (a) the candidate is a resident of the state; and
72      (b)(i) for a paraprofessional:
73(A) a school district or a charter school has employed the candidate as a
74paraprofessional for at least one year before entering the program; or
75(B) subject to Subsection (5), the candidate has experience outside of the school
76district, the charter school, or the state that is equivalent to the experience
77described in Subsection (4)(b)(i)(A);
78(ii) for a teacher, the candidate:
79(A) was a paraprofessional who was awarded a scholarship;
80(B) was offered employment as a teacher before the teacher completed the training
81to become a professionally licensed teacher; and
82(C) is working as a teacher for the same LEA where the teacher previously
83worked as a paraprofessional and was awarded the scholarship;
84(iii) notwithstanding Subsection (4)(b)(ii), for a teacher, the candidate is a licensed
85teacher seeking to become a special education teacher;
86[(iii)] (iv) for a school counselor assistant, the candidate:
87(A) is enrolled in a bachelor's degree program in a related field; and
88(B) demonstrates a commitment to continue the school counselor assistant's
89education after graduation in school counseling;
90[(iv)] (v) for a school counselor intern, the candidate is enrolled in a school counselor
91master's degree program accredited by:
92(A) the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational
93Programs; or
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94(B) another regionally recognized accrediting body that meets the state board's
95standards for school counselor education programs;
96[(v)] (vi) for a school psychologist student, including a student, practicum student, or
97intern, the candidate is enrolled in a school psychology education specialist or
98doctorate program that the National Association of School Psychologists
99accredits; or
100[(vi)] (vii) for a candidate studying to become a school social worker, including a
101student or practicum intern, the candidate is enrolled in a masters level social
102work program that the Council [of] on Social Work Education accredits.
103   (5) The percentage of an LEA's paraprofessional scholarship recipients who are eligible for
104a scholarship using equivalent experience under Subsection (4)(b)(i)(B) may not exceed
10520%.
106   (6) A scholarship award under the program may only be used for:
107(a) tuition, books, fees, and certification tests for required coursework and licensure;
108(b) stipends for mentors or school counselor assistants; and
109(c) if the LEA pays 0.15 of a full-time equivalent and all employee benefits, payment of
110a 0.35 full-time equivalent for:
111(i) a paraprofessional, up to one semester of student teaching; or
112(ii) a school counselor assistant or school counselor intern, up to two semesters of
113practicum or internship hours.
114   (7) An LEA shall ensure that a paraprofessional scholarship recipient is continuously
115employed as a paraprofessional by the paraprofessional's LEA while pursuing a degree
116using scholarship money under the program.
117   (8) The state board shall make rules in accordance with this section and Title 63G, Chapter
1183, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, to administer the program, including rules
119regarding:
120(a) grant and scholarship application procedures;
121(b) procedures for distributing scholarship money;
122(c) assignment and eligibility of qualified mentors;
123(d) stipends for mentors or school counselor assistants;
124(e) administrative costs for regional education service agencies, as that term is defined in
125Section 53G-4-410; and
126(f) eligibility requirements for potential candidates for scholarships regarding the
127completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the acceptance of
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 Enrolled Copy  H.B. 163
128other grants, tuition or fee waivers, and scholarships offered to the candidate.
129Section 2. Effective Date.
130  This bill takes effect on May 6, 2026.
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