Relicensing Teachers Could Become Less Cumbersome

None by Eric Ray

(KCPW News) Many former teachers in Utah are interested in returning to the classroom but don't because of the hurdles of the re-licensing process. One of those hurdles, completing 200 hours of training and personal development workshops, may soon disappear due to a measure now in front of Utah's Senate.

"There are 28,0000 people with teaching licenses across the state who would be eligible to come back to the schools if we pass this law," says Republican Representative Ronda Menlove of Box Elder county.

Menlove, sponsor of House Bill 68, adds the cost of retraining often prevents teachers from making the leap back into the classroom. Under the measure, which has already passed the House, teachers who are rehired can avoid completing the necessary training hours by creating a professional development plan with the school principal. Debbie White, a classroom teacher who spoke at Friday's committee meeting, agrees the current re-licensing process is a deterrent.

"When the change was made many years ago to have a prescriptive number of points, that was an arduous thing for people," says White. "Every one of us has strenths and weaknesses in our classroom, and it would be nice to be able to focus on the things that I needed versus just trying to find enough things to take up that time."

House Bill 68 unanimously passed a senate committee Friday and moves to the full Senate.

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