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A proposal to create the role of "teacher leader" in Utah schools was approved by a committee of lawmakers on Tuesday.
The bill, sponsored by Ogden Republican Sen. Ann Millner, directs the state school board to determine the criteria and qualifications of a teacher leaders, who would mentor and coach their co-workers on top of their classroom work.
"It seems really clear that we need someone in the school who is a master teacher," Millner said.
No additional funding is included in the bill.
But once a teacher leader is defined, Millner said, the state school board would be expected to report to lawmakers on the resources or policy changes needed in the future to support the new role for educators..
She said a structured mentoring program would provide additional support to new teachers, many of whom leave the profession within their first five years.
"We really have to increase our retention rate of our first- and second-year teachers," Millner said.
And the leader role, according to acting State Superintendent Sydnee Dickson, would give educators an additional career step between classroom teacher and school principal.
"Right now, in our state in particular, they're a classroom teacher or they're an administrator," Dickson said. "Having space somewhere along that continuum, we believe, can really turn around our retention rates."
But Dickson added that additional resources, for the training of teacher leaders or to provide higher salaries, would likely be necessary to make the role successful.
"Working with adults is very different from working with children so some professional development is needed," she said.
The Senate Education Committee voted unanimously to forward the bill to the full Senate.
But South Jordan Republican Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, who was elected in December to replace Aaron Osmond, suggested that an amendment might be needed to ensure flexibility for individual school districts and charter schools.
"I'd hate to see local school districts have their hands tied by a one-size-fits-all rule," he said.
Twitter: @bjaminwood
Benjamin Wood