Planning to renew your license this year? As many have experienced you will find a big increase in the fees that you are required to pay. A number of teachers have called the UEA to express their concerns. Here is the background and context that has led the State Office of Education to increase the cost of getting an initial license as well as the cost of renewal.
In the spring of 2004, the Fiscal Analysts for the State Legislature reviewed the budget for the State Office of Education. They raised questions and concerns as to why there were no fees or nominal fees for professional licensing and why the division of Educator Licensing was not a "self supporting/self funding unit." These questions and concerns were taken to the State Board of Education for consideration.
In past years there were suggestions to raise the licensing fees and the Utah State Board voted against doing so. The belief was expressed that Utah educators have heavy workloads (class size), deserve increased pay and the least they could do was to not ask teachers to increase their out-of-pocket costs to be licensed. (UEA was very active in lobbying the Board for this position.) Next enter the 2005 State Legislature who required the Licensing Division to become self funding.
Regardless of the Analysts' arguments of equity for professional licenses (other professions must pay fees and those licensing entities are self-funding), it is difficult not to view this approach as a way to give fewer dollars to the State Office of Education budget and to pass costs on to teachers/educators. The "lean machine just got leaner."
UEA did research to find out what educators in other states are required to pay for licensing and found that a majority of states do have a self-sustaining Educator Licensing Agency or division. UEA reviewed fees charged across the nation and, in particular, in western states as data comparison.
Proposed budgets were offered in a flurry. There was a need to hold the unit harmless with a phase-in budget because only about 25% of all educators renew each year. The legislature provided those phase-in funds. The implementation date was set for July 1, 2005.
UEA was involved in influencing the dollar amounts of the fees. The final fees set are at least 50% lower than first suggested. The $60 for renewal seems like a lot, but it helps to remember your license is good for FIVE years. Paying $12 per year does not seem as bad. Our fees are equal to or less than those charged to educators in surrounding western states. However, it is a big increase from $15 to $60. However, I suspect that the first budget to make the unit self supporting may not actually be enough. UEA has been told that any increases in the future to get to an actual working budget will not reflect increases in active educator (resident/in-state institution sponsored) fees.
In summary, fees to license and renew your educator license have increased significantly. New educators (those with the least income) take the biggest hit for the initial license. Their total initial fee is $119 which includes the required fingerprint fee ($69). If you are from out-of state it is higher, $144. Educator licensing is also going to charge an additional fee for adding an endorsement to your license in the future.
IMPORTANT NOTE: IF YOU ARE AN ACTIVE EDUCATOR AND YOU LET YOUR LICENSE EXPIRE YOU ARE REQUIRED TO PAY THE $69 FINGERPRINT FEE TO GET YOUR LICENSE RENEWED! TO RENEW AN EXPIRED LICENSE IS $109!
Why does it cost so much when my supervisor/principal reviews my documentation and I just send the form into them? How hard can it be to enter my info into the data base?
Best answer I can think of: It is not about ONE renewal. There are nearly 25,000 active educators in the state. About five to six thousand renew each year (5 year cycle). There are approximately 120,000 inactive certified educators who have a Utah license on file.
This past fall (2005) there were approximately 3500 new licenses issued. Setting up the new license with transcript documentation, background fingerprint checks, other verifications and entering complete info into the CACTUS system takes personnel and time. Changes and updates to the data also come through this office.
The Licensing Division has to be financially independent from the State Office of Education. They are housed in the state office and now must pay rent on every square foot that they occupy, pay telephone costs, computer/equipment costs, postage, salaries and benefit packages for employees and costs for the infrastructure to house and utilize the data, which is part of the costs for the CACTUS system and CACTUS system programmers. In a recent monitoring, the unit fielded over 200 calls for information in one day!
This unit also administers the Alternative Route to Licensing. The unit processes and oversees endorsements, and all of the Highly Qualified REQUIREMENTS of the federal ESEA (No Child Left Behind).
It takes a lot of $65 fees to fund the costs for activities and staff of the Licensing Division of the State Office of Education.
Do you have more questions? E-mail the Utah Education Association.
I am sorry to deliver bad news, which seems to happen too frequently. The other phrase I find myself saying too often is: "It is not as bad as it could have been."
Best wishes,
Kaye Chatterton
Director of Teaching and Learning
Utah Education Association
