ALA Utah Girls State

Proposed Legislation

`A Bill to End “Continuing Status” in K-12 Schools.

2022 ALA UTAH GIRLS STATE GENERAL SESSION

CHIEF SPONSOR: Alivia Watson
GIRLS STATE CITY: Herbert City

SECTION 1. TITLE. Ending “Continuing Status” or Tenure in K-12 Schools.

SECTION 2. PURPOSE / GENERAL DESCRIPTION_________________________________

After a 3-5 year period, teachers in Utah are automatically awarded “continuing status” or tenure. There is no process or evaluation in place to
evaluate the teacher’s effectiveness and commitment. After receiving tenure, a teacher’s classroom environment and the teaching itself can
degrade, preventing students from obtaining a good quality education.

SECTION 3. DEFINITIONS ____________________________________________________________________________

Tenure is defined as a permanent post given to someone, specifically a teacher or professor, after a certain number of years.

Incompetence refers to the inability to do something well due to a lack of necessary skills.

A Quality Education is to be given to children to increase their overall well-being (social, mental, emotional, and physical states, and cognitive
development) regardless of gender, race, status, etc.

SECTION 4. BILL TEXT. (Write the body of your bill by itemizing points. Include a penalty clause, if applicable)._____________

THIS BILL SHALL BE ENFORCED BY THE FOLLOWING:

A. The state of Utah and Board of Education shall further prohibit the use and practice of tenure in schools.
B. Upon the initial hiring of a teacher, a basic contract will be signed according to the schools’ rules and needs. Following a
probationary period of five (5) years, teachers are awarded with an addition to their initial contract following a
student-administrator evaluation.
C. School districts shall decide rules and regulations of the added contract, but immunity to firing is prohibited.
D. The added portion of each contract will include details about bonuses and vacation days for the teacher.
E. School funding is to be increased across the state to give each district and school board options for bonuses.
F. During any given school year, administration is required to keep a locked box, available to students to submit complaints in
confidence. School administrators will look over each complaint/struggle and determine the following course of action.
G. After the probationary period of five (5) years, the school board will conduct an evaluation on the teacher. Students must
complete one as well for each specific teacher. The evaluation will remain anonymous and will require small explanations
following answers. The school board will evaluate in-class experiences and effectiveness of teaching, as well as view test
scores.
H. Evaluations will be performed every two (2) years following the initial. These are in place to renew the contract regularly, in
the case of a degrading classroom setting or situation.
I. The school board is to decide the course of action for incompotent and unsuccessful teachers. They may be fired or put on
probation, etc.

SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE:

This act shall take effect on September 5, 2022.