Representative Peterson presented an appropriation request tied to stipends for student teachers and summarized early results from a pilot created by prior legislation.

Peterson said last year’s legislation (House Bill 221) created the stipend program and that this year’s request—filed under an appropriation for the Future Educators grant program amendments (HB 204, as announced in the presentation)—is a one‑time ask of $12,000,000 to fund the remaining two years of a three‑year pilot. She described the stipend as a $6,000 payment “that teachers can get the semester that they do full time student teaching.” Peterson told the committee, “As of 2 weeks ago, over 1300 teachers had received the stipend for this school year and they range all across the state.” She said the request is set up as a one‑time expenditure drawn from stabilization funds for the next two years and that the program will be evaluated after year three to measure effectiveness and retention.

Sylvia Reed, associate dean at Utah State University’s College of Education and Human Services, testified about student experiences: students reported they “did not have to work, which increased their well‑being and allowed them to pay rent, buy groceries, pay for fuel for their commute, and pay for childcare.” Reed read student statements that the stipend “sent a tangible message that the state values my service” and allowed some student teachers to quit second jobs and better prepare lessons during evenings.

Policy rationale and retention data: Peterson cited retention concerns, saying there is “about a 50% chance that student teachers or teachers going into the profession will not be teaching in 5 years.” She said stronger induction and mentorship increase retention, citing an estimate that retention could rise to roughly 65% for those who receive better student‑teaching experiences. The deans will track recipients to see whether the stipend yields measurable retention gains.

National Board Certification: Member Cindy Davis also raised a separate, ongoing funding request for national board certification supports the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) has sought. Davis summarized program details as presented to the committee: she said becoming nationally board certified “costs a teacher $2,000” and “takes 2 years.” She said nationally board certified teachers show student achievement gains and that national participation is about 2% while “in our state we have point 1.” She noted the legislature has already begun providing contributions tied to certification and that teachers receive a $1,000 bonus; in some Title I settings the bonus was described in the discussion as larger. Committee members asked whether national board training could conflict with state law; Davis said state law would take precedence and that teachers are trained on Utah law. Senator Johnson and others urged the committee to look further into national board content around equity obligations.

Questions and next steps: Representative Thompson asked for concrete data tying the stipend to reduced administrative/reporting costs (this question was part of a related SIS discussion). Representative Auxier, Representative Miller and others asked about how national board certification compares with a master's degree and about salary‑schedule impacts; Davis said pay and schedule effects vary by local education agency. Peterson said she will provide data from the deans and that the pilot will offer richer retention information after year three.

No appropriation vote occurred during the session; presenters concluded and committee members closed the item for further follow-up.