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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah expands teacher award program eligibility to non-participating school districts
Last action · March 6, 2026: Senate/ filedSponsors: Lincoln Fillmore and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
This bill expands access to the state's performance-based teacher award program by creating a self-nomination pathway for classroom teachers in non-participating school districts or charter schools. The measure establishes specific eligibility thresholds based on statewide scores and sets application deadlines running through June 2027.
Teachers employed in school districts or charter schools that choose not to participate in the state's Excellence in Education and Leadership Supplement program can now qualify independently for performance-based awards ranging from $2,000 to $10,000, with matching amounts for those in high-poverty schools.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
teachers in non-participating local education agencies
Teachers in school districts or charter schools that do not participate in the program gain a self-nomination pathway to qualify for performance-based financial awards.
Center for the School of the Future at Utah State University
The center is assigned expanded assessment, verification, and reporting duties for self-nominating teachers, along with receiving an allocation of program funds.
state board
The state board is required to disburse funding, provide necessary data to the center, contract for a web-based access portal, and coordinate license certifications.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a teacher qualify for an award if their school district does not participate in the program?
What are the award amounts for teachers who qualify through either pathway?
What is the role of a non-participating LEA when one of its teachers qualifies via self-nomination?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the Senate · in House committee.
Procedural history
37 actions- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ filed
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ strike enacting clause
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ comm rpt/ sent to Rules
- Mar 4, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Recommends Returned to Rules
Show 31 earlier actions
- Mar 3, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Held
- Mar 2, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Mar 2, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 27, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Feb 27, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Feb 26, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Feb 23, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Feb 23, 2026SenateSenate/ 3rd reading
- Feb 20, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 2nd reading
- Feb 20, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Feb 20, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Feb 20, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd reading
- Feb 4, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Feb 4, 2026SenateSenate/ comm rpt/ substituted
- Feb 3, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0085S01
- Feb 3, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0085S01
- Feb 3, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 3, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Substitute Recommendation
- Feb 2, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0085S01
- Feb 2, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0085S01
- Jan 20, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Jan 20, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 19, 2026SenateSenate/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Jan 19, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0085
- Jan 17, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0085
- Jan 12, 2026SenateSenate/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Jan 6, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0085
- Jan 6, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0085
- Jan 6, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Jan 6, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselBill Numbered but not Distributed
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion Beyond Participating Districts
The bill shifts the Excellence in Education and Leadership Supplement program from being restricted exclusively to participating local education agencies to allowing individual teacher self-nominations statewide.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy35Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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