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Members of the state school board are scheduled to hear public feedback this month on a new policy that allows individuals without education training to work as classroom teachers.
The hearing will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on July 26 before the board's Law and Licensing Committee, board spokeswoman Emilie Wheeler said.
Priority will be given to members of three groups that formally requested the hearing, Wheeler said, with members of the public permitted to speak as time allows.
"If for some reason they need to go longer then they can," Wheeler said.
Under the board's new policy, approved in June, school districts and charter schools can hire individuals who have bachelor's degrees in any field and can pass an ethics exam and background check and demonstrate mastery in their subject areas.
If hired, they would be allowed to teach provisionally while being mentored and supervised by a veteran educator for three years, after which they'd be eligible for a teaching certification.
The policy is an extension of Utah's existing Alternative Routes to Licensure program, which provides routes for career professionals to enter the teaching profession.
Utah's House Democrats sent a letter to the board last week requesting a public hearing on the new licensing rules.
The Democratic representatives said the board's new policy would damage teacher morale and fill Utah classrooms with unprepared adults.
The Utah Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators and the Utah Foreign Language Association had also requested an opportunity to provide feedback on the changes.
Rep. Joel Briscoe, D-Salt Lake City, said he and his colleagues have been contacted by many current and former educators concerned that the profession is being diminished by creating easier paths to Utah classrooms.
"Teachers are paying attention," he said. "People who are currently in the teaching profession understand how important that issue is."
He said the new policy reduces the role of the state school board in setting teaching standards and instead places those decisions in the hands of school district and charter school leaders.
"We look forward to having a time to talk about this," he said.
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