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H.B. 364 Certified Teacher Librarian Amendments: transcript

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Transcribed from the Legislature's recordings by software, with speakers identified from the video; it can contain errors. Check the recording before quoting anyone.

House Education Committee, Feb 17, 2026

Vice Chair Ariel Defay (presiding)41:03
All right. Next on the agenda, we have Representative Arthur HB 360 4 Certified Teacher Librarian Amendments.
Rep. John Arthur41:15
Thank you, Madam Vice Chair. Can I just say as I get settled here, that this is a, a thrill for me personally? I've been watching the education committee as an educator for a long time, so the chance to present today is, is, is special. And, oh, thank you. Also, if I were to sum up the, the bill that I'm presenting today, uh, HB 360 4, with, with one phrase, uh, it would be that librarians are special. And today it's my pleasure to, to present a bill that would, uh, require each school district or regional education service agency to staff a full-time certified teacher librarian at, at the district level. Now we're gonna go into the details on what a certified teacher librarian is. This is my, uh, my friend and expert wi witness, Gretchen. And she will, she will introduce herself and present that. But just to give you some context, um, a, a certified teacher librarian is an educator who carries a teaching license and a specialization in library science that they can gain either through a master's degree or through, uh, an endorsement that is, that is facilitated by an institution of higher learning. These full-time employees when they work at the district ora level, oversee and rem improve the curation development of library collections. They improve student academic achievement and reading and other content areas. They collaborate with the librarians who work at the school level to, to meet the needs of those individual school and those students. Uh, they facilitate collaboration between teachers and school librarians to support academic achievement, and they provide professional learning and mentoring to teachers as well as school librarians. This bill is looking if we get down to the, the specifics for the creation of 19 FTEs for librarians throughout the state. All right. The average pay for librarian, uh, puts the, the fiscal note for this at one point, about 1.8 million. And I think it's important to clarify that right from the start because this is an ask and there's an amendment to the bill that that'll need to be moved. Um, but that speaks to the fact that this is, this is a place along with the other literacy pieces that we're looking at as a state, that that will be need, that will need to be in place in order to ensure those other efforts are successful. We can come back to that with questions, but if you don't mind, I'd like to turn the time over to, to my witness.
Gretchen Zaitzeff, Canyons School District43:46
Thank you, representative Arthur. Good morning, vice Chair Defay and members of the committee. My name is Gretchen Zeev, and today I'm here in my official capacity as the district Library media specialist for Canyon School District with 18 years of library experience, a communications degree from BYU and a master's in library science from the University of Illinois. I have seen firsthand how certified teacher librarians serve as critical catalyst for student literacy and essential navigators of state state compliance. We have direct impact on student achievement house bill 360 4 reimagines, the teacher librarian, not as a mirror overseer, but as a strategic driver of literacy in canyons. Our work already Embo bodies. The pillars of this bill, first of all, we create exceptional literacy environments. Beginning in 2022, I spearheaded an initiative called the Great Library Update that moved all 28 of our elementary library collections from a critical rating to proficient and exemplary. And as the results were impressive, our elementary checkouts increased by over 46,000 books in just two years for a total of 369,774 circulations. And our K 12 digital ebook and audiobook use has increased by 5,000 hours year over year. While reading is taught in the classroom, it is practiced in the home and in the library. Certified teacher librarians maximize instructional return on investment. We have piloted a standards aligned elementary library curriculum designed by a certified teacher librarian that integrates research skills and media literacy directly into library time. This allows canyons to recapture 40 minutes of instructional time each week, moving the library away from being seen as a second recess and towards a center of academic instruction. We also develop professional and extended learning opportunities to ensure high quality instruction across all 43 campuses. We provide the mentorship required by this bill for 13 secondary certified librarians and over 50 elementary paraprofessionals beyond the school day. We lead programs like Book Blitz Junior, which fosters the reading motivation called for in House Bill 360 4 last year. Over 700 elementary students participated. 312 of them read all 12 books totaling 1.2 million pages. Read by that group alone. One parent shared that her son, who previously struggled to meet benchmarks, gained the confidence to tackle big books and met his reading benchmark for the first time because of his participation in book blitz. Junior certified teacher librarians navigate Compliance and policy. The core provision of House Bill 360 4 is for certified librarians to assist in administrators in navigating sensitive material requirements. Since 2022, I have worked with our district policy committee to revise our selection and reconsideration of library material policies three times to ensure we are in full alignment with state statute and USBE board rules. I have also worked with the Canyon's Legal Team and Policy Committee to update our copyright policy and guidance on the legal use of audio visual media in schools. These are complex legal landscapes that require the specialized training of a certified professional in the drafting and implementation stages. In conclusion, the framework of House Bill 360 4 is not just a policy ideal, it's a proven roadmap by requiring certified teacher librarians to manage state compliance and collection curation. This bill guarantees that every Utah student is supported by a specialist who can lead these critical literacy initiatives. I urge your support. I thank you for your time.
Rep. John Arthur48:09
Thank you. And just to conclude the presentation, I want to say that in the education community, as I've, as I've been talking with a lot of teachers as well as librarians, folks are calling this the year of books. This is the year of literacy. We've got a lot of bills coming through the legislature that are shining a beautiful bright light on not only the value of literacy, but also how critically and, and just, just committed our state is to raising literacy levels throughout Utah. And you know, when you look at bills like SB 2 41 on early literacy, HB 1 97 on school materials, SB 2 53 on library materials. They all tell us what needs to happen. This is important, this is important, this is important in education. We understand that who is just as important as what, if not more so because without the right who in place, then the what isn't gonna get done. And with pieces this important to our children and our schools, we have to make sure that we are investing in excellence, that we are bringing expertise to, to execute on these initiatives that we as a legislature are pri legislature are prioritizing. So with that Madam Chair, I'll go ahead and conclude my presentation.
Vice Chair Ariel Defay (presiding)49:24
Thank you. And to the committee for clarifying questions. Representative Peck.
Rep. Nicholeen P. Peck49:30
Thank you Madam Vice chair. Um, I have a few questions. So the first question is, um, can't schools already hire teacher librarians?
Rep. John Arthur49:42
They they can representative? That's a great question. I'm glad that you asked it because the, the ability to to hire certified teacher librarians is available to everybody. However, that's just not the, the norm. It used to be in Salt Lake City School District. Every elementary school has a certified teacher librarian. But throughout the state, the majority of libraries are staffed by paraprofessionals. And what we are asking for in this bill is to, to staff our districts and our resa with, with certified teacher librarians who can help facilitate the work being done by those librarians, whether they are certified themselves or paraprofessional.
Rep. Nicholeen P. Peck50:19
Okay. Thank you. So it sounds like then, and you'll have to answer this, um, if we are putting an emphasis on hiring more teacher librarians at a higher cost, then we will be firing or replacing some people that currently have jobs and we will be increasing our budget. So I guess my questions are why would we wanna fire people that are already doing a good job? What would we get out of it that's any different? And, um, also, why would we take money for librarians when librarians are telling me that children aren't actually really reading books in the library that much, why would, why would we take more money for libraries when we have a desperate need in like special ed I, 'cause that seems like a, a, an appropriation that doesn't match our needs.
Rep. John Arthur51:17
I, I, I gotta tell you, I'm so grateful for that question because it clarifies the critical piece of this bill. There is no one being fired. There's no job that's being taken away. This is about job creation at the, at the district level. So you have kids who are going into the library, but they're not picking up books. And a large part of that problem is the person manning the library has not been trained by a certified teacher librarian on how to spark that love for literacy inside of children. You've got folks who've just been hired to do a job. And what we are saying is, if we're gonna prioritize literacy, then we have to elevate the opportunity that our, our librarians have to learn from a certified teacher librarian. So this is creating a position at each district, unless a district already has it or Resa to be shared by the smaller districts. And then those people, in addition to being in charge of curating collections for the, that district, in addition to helping gather the, the, the, the beautiful literary collections that we want our kids exposed to and enjoying in the libraries. They're gonna be providing professional learning to the, the folks staffing our libraries so they can be effective in helping to raise literacy levels and get kids to love books in their libraries.
Rep. Nicholeen P. Peck52:30
Thank you, Madam Vice Chair. If I, if I may, I have just two other quick little things. If he could answer them quickly, are you okay with that? Yep. Okay. Thank you. I'll keep it brief. Okay. Thank you. Um, so my first question is, um, since there is a zero fiscal note, but there's money listed, is this an unfunded mandate? And then my second thing is, um, how exactly does a person with a degree have a better chance of sparking learning in a child or sparking a child to read a book, um, than somebody who just is already there and knows the child? How would a piece of paper help a person connect with a child better?
Rep. John Arthur53:13
Thank you. Um, just to make sure I'm answering these and I don't forget 'em, there we go. Uh, the first question, the, the funding, there's an amendment, um, that needs to be moved, that, that isn't a, a, a specific fiscal note, but states that this will come from the state, that the state board will fund this with appropriations from the legislature. When I asked the, the fiscal analyst for, for more specifics on it, she, she gave me these numbers. Um, this bill would require the creation of 19 FTEs throughout the state. Um, the average pay for a librarian is $94,000 per the State Board of Education. So with benefits included, or that is with benefits included, this brings a total fiscal impact to 1.7 million 1.8 roughly. So this is not an unfunded mandate. If it were, I would, I would not be running this because I don't want to pass that onto the, the districts. And I don't want an inconsistent, uh, distribution of, of this work or this expertise. I want every district or Resa for the smaller districts to have access to, to a Gretchen Zeitsiff to have access to a certified teacher librarian who can facilitate the work that's happening in those districts. To your, I apologize, I, I promise I would keep it brief to, to your second, uh, question. When, when you get your library media endorsement, you have to master these six competencies within, within library media sciences. And the person at the district level will have mastered that. For the folks who are on the ground, they have those relationships with the kids. What we're building in them is the capacity to understand how to best, uh, deliver literacy instruction and, and library instruction within the libraries. Libraries have their own standards that they're supposed to be meeting in the state of Utah, however, the training to meet those standards is not always there. So that's what this position will be providing to our librarians.
Vice Chair Ariel Defay (presiding)55:09
Thank you. Alright. Thank you Representative Lyon.
Rep. Karianne Lisonbee55:14speaker not certain
Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, welcome to our committee. Thank You. Uh, just a quick question. So do you know how many districts and Reese's now have this, um, employee?
Rep. John Arthur55:24
Gotcha. Do we know?
Gretchen Zaitzeff, Canyons School District55:26
There are three that I'm aware of. Uh, canyons, granite, and, um, Weber currently have this position staffed by a certified teacher librarian in some instances. Um, there's a head librarian such as, um, in Alpine right now. The position was moved back to a library, and that work is done by a per certified teacher librarian who's also managing a school library.
Rep. Karianne Lisonbee55:59speaker not certain
Okay. Then just to follow up on the, on the funding portion, because, um, because it basically says line 56, it specifies that each district shall staff a, a certified library teacher, librarian, and then it's, and then it instructs the board, the state board to fund that if the legislature appropriates the funds. Yeah. So if we don't appropriate the funds, then the districts and the Reese's are stuck. They have to comply and they do have to come up with the budget money to fill this position. Am I understanding that correctly?
Rep. John Arthur56:33
That's where the amendment comes in. So in the amendment to line 56, it says before July 1st, 2031, each school district that receives funds described in subsection three A from the state board shall staff a full-time certified teacher librarian. So it's on the condition that they receive those funds.
Rep. Karianne Lisonbee56:49speaker not certain
Okay. And then have you, okay, so we, so we would have to fund this. Um, so, um, do we know where we're at on that as far as EAC? Do we know, do we have the funds to do this? What, have you talked to anybody about that?
Rep. John Arthur57:03
You know, what the, the, again, this is new kid at school, but the thing that I keep hearing is that first we focus on, on the bill and getting it through committee and then E-L-C-E-A-C will, will have its meetings and I'll get to provide input, but they will make their decisions. Okay. But if there's anything that I'm missing there, please by all means, lemme know.
Rep. Karianne Lisonbee57:23speaker not certain
Okay. And then do you have, do you have, um, have a lot of the districts and Reese's, have they reached out and, and feel like this is needed? Um, do they, are they kind of in support? Where, where are they at in terms of wanting to go down this road? This
Rep. John Arthur57:35
Bill, thank you for that question. This bill is, um, you know, the genesis of it comes from a lot of collaboration with education stakeholders. Um, JLC voted in, in to support this bill this last week, UEA Utah Librarians Association, Utah School Librarians Association. As we look at the, the landscape of the year of the books, we see a lot of what's coming our way. If you look at the, the different bills, um, an LEA shall review each instructional material that the LEA adds to the LEAs collection. The question from the education, education committee or community is who's gonna do this for the early literacy bill? It talks about literacy teams with somebody from the LEA who is knowledgeable about available literary resources and who has the authority to commit literary resources? Who is this person? And a lot of districts are saying, we don't have that. We would love to make sure that we get pieces in place to make sure that we can fulfill the, the job that that is being asked of us. But they don't have those. Um, specifically in, in Senator ml's bill that's moving through, uh, the Senate right now, it references teacher librarians. And initially it called for, uh, an LEA to, um, create and adopt a collection development policy that outlines the LEAs library collection development practices under the direction of the teacher librarian at each school or LEA. But unfortunately that's not there. So in, in that bill, they've made an amendment to include any certified language arts teacher. Um, but that in, in my estimation, is an attempt to adapt to the realities rather than making reality what it ought to be that we ought to have this position, we shouldn't have to amend his bill. We should simply put into place the, the, the human resources that we need and the human capital to make these efforts successful.
Vice Chair Ariel Defay (presiding)59:26
Thank you. All right. Thank you. Representative Peterson. Corinne Peterson.
Rep. Karen M. Peterson59:33
I'll be brief. Um, thank you, first of all for being here. Um, it's always nice to have, um, our educators be able to come to the hill, so thank you for being here. And, and, um, as you probably have ascertained the last couple of years, we care a lot about the reading materials that are in our schools. And so we appreciate, um, our librarian's work to curate great collections for our students to have, um, that available to them. So thank you for being here. You kind of touched on one of my questions, which was, um, so as I understand it, you didn't go to public ed appropriations and receive prioritization, so you didn't go present there? No. Okay. That was my first question. And then my second question is, I saw the amendment, which I think helps because, um, you know, I always get a little leery of unfunded mandates. Um, and so that helps with the school district part. Um, the way it's drafted though, it doesn't necessarily help with the, the mandate to the state board. So the state board, um, would be required to make roles regardless of whether the bill gets funded or not. Um, so I guess my question is, is that your intention, um, or, you know, if this passes through today, can we continue to work on a motion maybe there around the state board?
Rep. John Arthur1:00:43
Absolutely. So as I understand it, and again, I defer to your expertise in this, but as I read the amendment, it to me says that each school district that receives funds shall staff a full-time certified teacher librarian. There's nothing in here that says that you can't certify or staff a full-time certified teacher librarian districts do. But this makes the requirement to staff that dependent on receiving those funds, as I understand it.
Rep. Karen M. Peterson1:01:11
Yes. That's how I read it. On, um, on that first part, on like, um, your subsection 2 56 through 59. Mm-hmm. What doesn't change is the requirements of the state board, whether the money comes or not, that come below that. So like your three b, like line 64. So, but I can work with you on that. Um, if the bill Thanks. Thank you.
Vice Chair Ariel Defay (presiding)1:01:37
Thank you. Representative Moss.
Rep. Carol S. Moss1:01:42
Thank you Madam Vice chair. Um, Gretchen, I'm sorry, I don't remember your last name. So I'll call you by your first name. Thank you for what you do. And I have a question for you, uh, since you're over at the Canyons District, right? You're the district, uh, library specialist. Um, what about your individual schools? Do you have certified librarians in any of them or some of them? Or how does that, uh,
Gretchen Zaitzeff, Canyons School District1:02:07
In canyons we have 13 certified teacher librarians in our secondary schools. So middle and high, all of our elementary schools are, um, serviced by paraprofessionals.
Rep. Carol S. Moss1:02:22
Okay. Thank you. And I'll ask, um, representative Arthur, um, it's kind of a, a rhetorical question, but why have districts gone to using paraprofessionals in so many cases?
Rep. John Arthur1:02:35
You know, the, there used to be an appropriation for, for librarians in the early two thousands, I believe is when the shift was made. Um, that allowed, uh, LEAs to, to not staff their libraries with certified teacher librarians. And, and for, for the, I think fiscal reasons, they, they typically would opt instead, uh, to, to fill those specialist positions with, with paraprofessionals rather than, um, certified teacher librarians because it's more expensive.
Rep. Carol S. Moss1:03:08
Thank you. Um, there's one at school near me, my neighborhood school, and she's very good. Uh, she doesn't, she's a Paradise. Um, she, every time I see her or her husband, they say, please get better benefits for paraprofessionals. 'cause they have 29 hours a week. Yeah. And so they get no benefits whatsoever. And they're paid. Their pay is not high at all. And so, what, uh, some are good and knowledgeable about books, but most of 'em haven't been trained. Um, I attended, uh, first Lady Abby Cox's literacy luncheon this year, and also the Utah Library School Library Association, where I was grateful to get an award. Um, and they presented some startling statistics. Yeah. Uh, not just in Utah, but around the country. The number of, um, certified librarians all over the country has been reduced by tremendous number. And it's, when we're talking about literacy and kids not reading at grade level and not reading, this is very concerning. And so, do you see, uh, that, why did you pick that date, if I might? Madam Chair at 2031? Yeah. What, why'd you pick that far ahead?
Rep. John Arthur1:04:26
Yeah. Wanted to provide school districts and, and Thea's enough of a runway where they could do this right. Where they could fill the positions, um, without it becoming an immediate, um, burden and, and just a, uh, giving them the opportunity to be, to be successful in that effort.
Rep. Carol S. Moss1:04:46
Thank you. Uh, if I may just share this, um, I have a minor in library science. That's what it was called. I have a bachelor's and master's degree in English. And when I was hired at Olympus High, I was hired to be halftime librarian. 'cause they had never had anybody student teach there and halftime English teacher. And eventually I was full-time English. But, um, now folks, do any of you remember card catalogs? We had those, I helped students doing research papers, checking out books back when teenagers actually checkbooks outta school library and read fiction. And, um, when the question was asked, what difference does it make, if you have a degree or not, it's like saying, why should an English teacher have a degree, you know, that they like to read and they can write. But it made a huge difference. If you saw the yearbook when I was 23 years old, uh, it would say under my name Media library. Mm-hmm. But, um, I, I am so happy you've brought this today because it's a goal. And, and we know that fiscally times are lean, but it is a goal, and it is part to see the, the, to work on getting kids to read when the last few years have been spent stopping them from reading many books. I mean, we have to find a better balance. And so I thank you for bringing this forward.
Rep. John Arthur1:06:10
Thank you. And if I may just respond to a point that, that the good representative made about mm-hmm. Paraprofessionals. Our paraprofessionals are incredible. They, they have dedicated their work life to, to educating uplifting children. What this bill is intended to do is provide them with the level of support needed to build their capacity so they know how to do that most effectively under the guidance of, of a certified professional. And our, our libraries have always been places where magic could happen. We just need more magicians who, who know how to, to create the conditions in which kids can fall back in love with books.
Vice Chair Ariel Defay (presiding)1:06:45
Thank you. All right. Thank you. Representative Moss, representative Val Peterson.
Rep. Val L. Peterson1:06:51
Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh, so you said the fiscal note was 1.1 million, which provides for 19, roughly 1.8 is what the fiscal analyst told me. It provides for 19 of, uh, librarians. Yep. Um, there's 42 LEAs. So how is the, how is the state board gonna allocate those? How are we gonna decide who gets them? So, um, and then you have obviously charter schools. So does this apply to charter schools or is this just to the LEAs?
Rep. John Arthur1:07:19
This applies solely to, to LEAs or for, for district schools right now. Um, the, the breakdown, and lemme just scroll this page again, is, it's 19 FTEs. I apologize. I I have another sheet that has all the information, but there's four res, um, that will be sharing this position with their smaller district. So there's a small district doesn't have to have a district library, media specialist. Um, and then that leaves about 15, uh, districts that, um, would stand alone in filling this position. Um, again, this position exists in some districts. This is just to make sure that every district has this expert person available to do all the work that we're asking that they do. And then how many certified librarians are there in the state? So if we open this up, I mean, obviously we have certifications that have to happen in order to even get there. And it sounds like we have three districts that currently have them. Is that correct? Well, I'll, I'll start it. And then if you want to fill in the blanks there, there are over 200 certified teacher librarians in the state of Utah, along with 600 some odd, uh, Parowan librarians. But when a teacher, like at my school, a fifth grade teacher wanted to be the librarian a few years back. So she left fifth grade and moved into the library. And then you have three years to complete your, your endorsement training. It's seven courses, $200 per course. Um, she did one per semester, uh, to the final summer. And that's how you can be a teacher, a certified teacher, and gain the endorsement while continuing to to work in the library.
Gretchen Zaitzeff, Canyons School District1:09:00
I just wanna add that this position exists in many districts. It's just not always filled with a certified teacher librarian. So there is someone serving in a supervisory role, but they don't always have, um, library experience.
Rep. Val L. Peterson1:09:16
So if this is such an important position, then why wouldn't the districts want a certified librarian cer serving in those positions?
Gretchen Zaitzeff, Canyons School District1:09:25
I can only speak for canyons and they do.
Rep. Val L. Peterson1:09:28
Right. But it sounds like a lot don't. Yeah.
Vice Chair Ariel Defay (presiding)1:09:32
Alright, thank you. Uh, just, just to make you all aware, we do have a few more questions up here. We are time limited. We have a hard stop. Um, so if we can make questions brief, that'd be wonderful. Um, next, Representative Hayes.
Rep. Sahara Hayes1:09:44
Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for being here today. It's fun seeing you on that side of the table. Um, you've touched on this briefly, but maybe you could just expand a little more. Um, we've talked a lot about sensitive materials as a committee, and there was recently an audit that came out in 2025, I believe. Um, are you aware of, does this, uh, bill help address the concerns that were found in the audit? And if so, how?
Rep. John Arthur1:10:10
I, I'll answer that question in two ways. One, this, this bill is related to, to the librarians, not necessarily the materials in the library. However, if we wanna make sure that the, the best materials are available to students, that we need the best experts curating those collections. And currently, that is not what we have. And I, I would argue that if we want to, to elevate what we're seeing in our libraries, then we have to elevate the, the investment in the expertise that we're making currently. And then, I don't know if you want to add to that, but
Gretchen Zaitzeff, Canyons School District1:10:42
I have nothing to add. Great.
Rep. Sahara Hayes1:10:43
Wonderful. Thank you. Thank you. Madam Chair.
Vice Chair Ariel Defay (presiding)1:10:46
Thank you. Thank you, Representative Thompson.
Rep. Jason E. Thompson1:10:53
Thank you Madam Vice Chair, um, representative Arthur. Arthur, thank you for, for being here and, um, for your services as a teacher. I, um, I have questions about the fiscal note as well. Mm-hmm. Um, uh, there, I have two priorities on this committee. Number one, um, watching out for unfunded mandates. Mm-hmm. Um, that, that, um, there, there's been too many times that I've talked to my superintendents where, um, you know, where, where the frustration is that we're, we're, we're passing legislation, um, requiring certain things without providing funding for it. In fact, I, I would like to change the fiscal note altogether to show local impact and have it right at the top in a big box. Um, where's this funding going to come from? Ultimately?
Rep. John Arthur1:11:42
Uh, I, I appreciate that question. Uh, the funding would come from the legislature. And to your point, I could not agree more. I unfunded mandate is, especially as a, as a teacher, uh, something that I'm just not willing to get into the business of. But, um, my second priority is if I'm gonna ask for funding for something, it has to be something that raises student achievement. And if you look at the line items on the education appropriations budget, I, I dare say that besides national board certified teachers, you're gonna have a hard time finding any other line item that is proven through research to raise academic outcomes for students. There are other things that make, uh, school better, but there are, i I, I challenge you to find another line item that raises student achievement more than a, a certified teacher librarian Does. I have research I can share with you and, and Gretchen does as well. But for the sake of time, uh, I'll, I'll just give that to you offline. Thank
Rep. Jason E. Thompson1:12:39
You. I, uh, for the sake of time, I'll, I'll withhold, um, um, my, my next question, but thank you. Thank you.
Vice Chair Ariel Defay (presiding)1:12:45
Right. Thank you. That's all from the Committee to the public for comment. Alright. Looks like we have a few comments. Um, we will, let's just for sake of time, we'll limit each comment to one minute. If you'll please come to the stand, state your name and who you're with, and write your name on the clipboard.
Rebekah Cummings, Utah Library Association1:13:03
Thank you, vice Chair Defe. My name is Rebecca Cummings and I'm with the Utah Library Association. And I'm here in strong support of HB 360 4. Um, as we all know, literacy is a top priority for our state to make sure that every child is ready to learn by reading at or above grade level. Multiple studies conducted right here in Utah demonstrate that school districts with certified teacher librarians result in higher standardized test scores and reading and writing achievement certified school librarians are also experts in collection development and can ensure that sensitive materials do not make their way into library collections. Libraries are existing proven literacy infrastructure, and now is the time we need to invest in that infrastructure. We all know that trained librarians help instill a love of reading in kids. But in 2026, they also play a critical role in improving digital media and even AI literacy, online safety, and evaluating information. When I asked my fourth grade daughter what she learns from Ms. Savage, her school librarian, she said, Ms. Savage helps me find the best books and teaches me how to use databases to explore the world. She also teaches me how the internet might be tricking me. I urge your support for this bill to improve literacy outcomes and ensure compliance with laws Utah already has in place. Thank you.
Rep. R. Neil Walter (presiding)1:14:17
Thank you. Next.
Teresa Thompson, Utah Library Association1:14:20
My name is Theresa Thompson. I'm representing to the Utah Library Association. I'm from Eagle Mountain, um, and I'm an academic librarian, but I was a school librarian for 14 years. Utah is in the bottom tier nationally for certified school librarians. A 2021 study found that there were only 225 qualified teacher librarians to direct school library program services Out of 987 schools. This leaves some school districts without a single certified librarian CERT certified school. Oh, sorry. This lack of state and LEA support for school libraries has exasperate exasperated the sensitive materials debate as untrained librarians may not know how to evaluate materials appropriately. Certified school librarians play a major role in the educational proficiency of students. A trained librarian knows how to evaluate educational materials that fulfill educational requirements, meet community standards, including the identification of sensitive materials, and develop a student's love of reading and support their LEA holistically. I encourage you to vote yes on this bill. Thank you.
Rep. R. Neil Walter (presiding)1:15:22
Thank you. Go ahead, please.
Stephanie Jones, former school librarian1:15:25
Um, yes, chair Walter, members of the committee. I am Dr. Stephanie Jones, and I am here in support of HB 360 4. I bring a perspective that I feel like may be just a little bit unique. I have worked as a school librarian for many, many years. Um, most recently I worked as a coordinator of libraries for Alpine School District, supervising 25 secondary librarians and 60 elementary librarians. I have also taught at the university level preparing those, seeking their credentials to be a school librarian. I have worked with hundreds of paraprofessionals and certified librarians, and they are all wonderful and bring something so important to the table, but their roles are not interchangeable. I advocate today for this bill because it is an investment in our students. It is an investment that brings about higher achievement. As many have stated, it is worth the investment.
Rep. R. Neil Walter (presiding)1:16:21
Thank you. Please go ahead.
Shanna Lewis, certified teacher librarian1:16:25
Uh, my name is Shanna Lewis. I am a certified teacher school librarian in the Salt Lake City School District. Um, I have taught for 28 years. This is my 28th year and my, the 12th year as a certified teacher librarian. Um, as a teacher librarian, I have the opportunity to work as, uh, to work with every single student in the the school. I go into the English classes and I do teach research skills. Those research skills are focused on plagiarism, on ethical use of ai, as well as the research process of digital media, uh, literacy skills. I also have the opportunity to collaborate with teachers by finding correct curriculum or curriculum assistance to help them in their education of their, um, of their students in their classrooms. And I also have the opportunity to work with the community. I too urge you to vote a yes to this, um, uh, bill to allow all students in the state of Utah to have a certified teacher librarian.
Sara Jones, Utah Education Association1:17:34
Good morning committee members. I'm Sarah Jones with the Utah Education Association. I just wanna thank Representative Arthur for seeing the need and running this legislation. And this has been a really important policy discussion that you've had here this morning. We believe that a focus on trained teacher librarians will support so many of our shared goals, improving student literacy, ensuring materials meet state regulations, curating collections tied to instructional standards, and providing age appropriate and engaging reading for all students. We hope that you will support this bill, and of course, we hope that EAC will also support funding for this important investment. Thank you.
Tammy Flake, resident1:18:16
Hi, I'm Tammy Flake and I represent myself. Actually, I'd like to maybe represent families. Um, I'm an army veteran and I'd actually like to encourage you guys to vote no on this. Um, I fought for our country and I believe that government should be smaller. I don't think that we should mandate every single thing. I love librarians. I have an aunt that, um, teaches and reads with my kids all the time. I love her very, very much. But I think parents should be the primary source of sparking reading. And knowing our kids is really important. And if they need more help, they should be the ones to say, Hey, maybe we need to go to the library more. Or, Hey, they need more help. We should find some cars and different things like that. And so librarians are really important, but we shouldn't mandate a certification to get that spark going. So please vote now.
Lexi Cunningham, Utah School Superintendents Association and Utah School Boards Association1:19:25
Thank you. Um, good morning committee. Thank you Mr. Chair. Lexi Cunningham representing, um, the Utah School Superintendents Association, the Utah School Boards Association. Our body did vote on Friday to support this bill, but only if there is funding that comes with the bill. If there's not funding, it does become an unfunded mandate and we couldn't support that. Um, and, um, I know there was a question about Reese's. So I checked. We do have four Reese's in the state of Utah and they represent 26 districts. So we're a yes. Only if there's funding.
Rep. R. Neil Walter (presiding)1:19:57
Thank you. Do we have any online? Alright, Catherine, uh, we're going to, we've got, uh, one minute timer set. Please state your name, uh, who you represent, if any. Tell us, uh, where you reside. Make sure your camera and your microphone are on.
Katherine Paterson, Utah Library Association1:20:22
Hi there. My name is Catherine Patterson. I'm a member of the Utah Library Association, and I've been a librarian, uh, for about five years before I got my master's in library and information, oh, I'm so sorry. I'm from Salt Lake County. Um, before I got my Master's in Library and Information Science, I worked in libraries for many years. My degree prepared me to handle collection development decisions, plan lessons, and train and mentor others. For those reasons. I ask you to vote yes on this bill. Information literate students are better prepared for college, career and life. Our children's lives after high school demand an ability to find, use, and evaluate information in multiple formats, whether they continue into higher education or into the workforce. In a world of AI and DeepFakes, information literacy helps students to evaluate information critically. And certified teacher librarians are well equipped to do this for our students. Thank you so much, and I urge you to support this bill.
Rep. R. Neil Walter (presiding)1:21:18
Excuse me. Thank you. That concludes our public comment. I'm gonna go to the Committee for Action items. Uh, I've got, uh, Representative Thompson.
Rep. Jason E. Thompson1:21:32
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, so, um, Uh, representative Arthur, I, um, when it comes to libraries, you won't find a bigger supporter in reading and early literacy and libraries than right here. Um, the, the role and responsibility of this committee is to be the gatekeeper. Um, not just a policy, but to look and say, how do, how do we fund this? How do we make the, how do, how do we make this happen? My concern today has, um, very little to do with the policy. Um, I, I actually really support and love what you're trying to do with the bill. Um, I, I don't see anything limiting, um, a a district from being able to do this right now if they prioritize it and, and do it. Um, and so, so with the fiscal note, a $1.7 million fiscal note that shows up as a zero. Um, that in the language of the legislation brings it back to the legislature to, to fund it in a year where we've had budget exercises that have been, um, one of the least favorite things that I've had to do in a, in a long time. Um, I I, I, I'm going to make a motion. I would like to make a motion, Mr. Chair,
Rep. R. Neil Walter (presiding)1:22:52
To un unfortunately, you have to make a motion and then speak to it. So
Rep. Jason E. Thompson1:22:56
I'll, I'll make a motion, then I'll speak to it. I'll make a motion that we hold well,
Rep. R. Neil Walter (presiding)1:23:01
Um, your, I'm sorry, Representative Thompson, your motion would be out of order because you have to make the motion and then speak to it. Okay.
Rep. Jason E. Thompson1:23:08
So well, um, then I'll Pause and let someone else make a motion.
Rep. R. Neil Walter (presiding)1:23:12
Okay. Thank you Representative MacPherson.
Rep. Matt MacPherson1:23:18
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I appreciate the good sponsor for reaching out, uh, uh, to me on this bill. And for the discussion. I apologize I missed the first part of it. Um, but I just, um, wanna make a motion to hold and I wanna speak to that, if that's okay.
Rep. R. Neil Walter (presiding)1:23:33
That motion is in order. Thank you.
Rep. Matt MacPherson1:23:35
Um, so my, um, my, when I talk to individuals at schools, when I talk to teachers, when I talk to principals, when I talk to school board members, when I talk to the state board of education, when I talk to education stakeholders, when they complain about the legislature, one of the biggest complaints they make to us is that we reach in to schools at the school level, and we try to tell them how to, how to do things, whether we are putting in programs or whether we're making requirements, um, mandates, whether they're funded or not. Um, and my concern here is that, um, that this kind of continues down that same path of, of trying to describe exactly how schools, especially when it comes to the level of who they should hire. And I know that's one of the things that they probably have the biggest complaint of, is the, um, they wanna have control over the people that work in their schools. Um, and there's some discussion back and forth on who, who should have, uh, authority here. I think that should belong with State Board of Education, which has general control and supervision and should create rules around requirements if they believe that they need to be statewide requirements in education and should less focus on the legislature, putting 'em in statute. Um, but otherwise, I support the idea and the policy behind this. And I think that it would be fantastic if schools were, were to invest their money in these places. I think that would be good for them. Um, but with that, I, I make that motion.
Rep. R. Neil Walter (presiding)1:25:05
Alright. Thank you. We have a motion to hold, uh, house, house Bill 360 4 certified Librarian Amendments. If you are, if your light is on it is to the motion to hold. I have a number of lights on. I'm gonna go to Representative Hayes.
Rep. Sahara Hayes1:25:20
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I, I, I will support a committee motion to hold this, but I do wanna put it out there that I think if we choose to hold this bill, we should be putting it on the interim agenda because this is an important topic and we keep putting more and more expectations on libraries and on librarians. That's a thing that we've put a lot of effort into and a lot of dedication as a legislature. And if we do that, I think we need to make sure that they have the resources to handle our expectations. Well, we just passed a bill out of this committee asking up to make sure that LEAs proactively vet, um, all of the materials that are going in. And we want to make sure we have someone very qualified to do that. We have, we, we expect our teachers to have degrees. We expect our teachers to be well trained in this. And libraries, they are part of the educational experience. This is how people do research in classes. It's more than finding books. It has a whole range of things. And so I think that if the committee chooses to fund this or to, excuse me, to hold this, that we need to do so with the expectation that we're going to dedicate efforts to this in the future. So thank you.
Rep. R. Neil Walter (presiding)1:26:29
Thank you, Representative Hayes. I'm gonna go to Representative Welton. Oh, it's me, I'm sorry. Representative Voxer. Right.
Rep. Tiara Auxier1:26:37
Um, yeah, I would support the motion to hold. I think one of the biggest things and being on this committee and also education appropriations, we get to see what the cuts have been. And, you know, some of the recommended cuts have been to cut critical FTEs that we have. So then to go and ask for 19 more, and we can't even fund some that we already have, is, is a hard thing to do. And I think especially in a tight year, um, if, if you would ask the schools where they would want $1.7 million, I I think that, um, so much of the focus would be more in the classroom. And so, um, I will be supporting the motion to hold.
Rep. R. Neil Walter (presiding)1:27:16
All right. Thank you. Uh, signal for the lights, uh, to the, um, and I, I'm actually really sorry. Representative, uh, Arthur, I neglected to go to you on the motion to hold before we Uintah the committee. I apologize for that, but we'll go to you at this point.
Rep. John Arthur1:27:30
Thank you. It was, it was nice to hear everybody's thoughts on it. Um, I'll, I'll say this. I, I respect the, the decision that the committee makes, um, in my perfect world, which is informed by the, the things that I think would be best for the children that I serve. Um, this, this bill would move forward and it would ultimately be funded this year. Um, we, we resist unfunded mandates in education. But if you talk to educators, one of the things that, that maybe frustrates us even more are unstaffed mandates decisions that come down from legislature that say, LEAs will do this, schools will do that, libraries will be responsible for this. But then no, no discussion of who is gonna pick up that baton, who's going to, who's gonna be the person to do that? And usually it gets stacked on top of somebody else who's, who's at that tipping point with exhaustion and burnout. And, uh, just to advocate for that person. I would ask that as you move forward and you think about the, the big ambitions that this legislature has this year, um, literacy, school materials, libraries. This is, this is the state saying, we recognize the ask that we're making of you. And to meet that ask, we are going to staff a person in every district who can lead the charge. We're not just gonna leave it to those who are already exhausted in education. We're gonna create a position and we're gonna fund that position because it's a top priority for us to make sure that our efforts are successful. If you don't define that, who, and all you pass down are the what's, they're gonna fall flat and they're gonna be done in an unsatisfactory way. And, and for that reason, I, I would hope that, uh, maybe there's a miracle somewhere I can move this on. But again, I respect whatever decision you make.
Rep. R. Neil Walter (presiding)1:29:18
Thank you, representative Arthur into the, uh, maker of the motion.
Rep. Matt MacPherson1:29:22
Yeah, I'll just briefly, um, the policy I think is a good idea to perhaps send to interim to discuss because there is this, this discussion, I think Representative Arthurs, uh, Arthur has brought up about, you know, who's doing this work. Um, I'd also say that, you know, our, our funding for public education is, is not an endless resource. Usually funding that goes to something has to come at the expense of something else. And so I think there's a, a larger discussion to be made of, of what, where the priority needs to be and who's best to make that decision, uh, as far as whether it's the legislature, the state board, or local schools. Um, so I, I, I appreciate the i the suggestion and would support, um, uh, studying this in interim but support the hold motion still right now. Thanks.
Rep. R. Neil Walter (presiding)1:30:05
Alright, thank you. The motion before is just to hold house Bill 360 4 certified teacher librarian amendments. Uh, just we're gonna do a roll call. Vote Representatives, er aye. Eliason? Yes. Hayes. Aye. Liz and B aye. McPherson Aye. Millard Aye. Moss? Aye. Peck. Aye. Corinne Peterson. Aye. Val Peterson. Aye. Pucci Aye. Thompson. Aye. Welton? Yes. Chair Walter? Yes. That motion carries unanimously. Thank you Representative Arthur, thank you for, uh, uh, the comments and for for the discussion today.