R277-486-4. Acceptable Experience

  (1) Educator experience for purposes of this rule shall be measured in one-year increments.

  (2) For purposes of the professional staff cost calculation, an educator shall be credited by the Superintendent with one year of experience for every school year in which the educator is employed:

  (a) at least half-time (0.5 FTE) in a position that requires a Utah Educator License as described in R277-520; and

  (b) in a public school in the State of Utah or in a regionally accredited:

  (i) public school outside of the State of Utah;

  (ii) private school; or

  (iii) institution of higher education; or

  (iv) regional service center.

  (3) To obtain credit under Subsection (2), the LEA which employs the educator shall submit acceptable documentation verifying such experience to the Superintendent, including documentation of the school's or institution's regional accreditation.

  (4) An educator who is employed in a prekindergarten position may not be counted for the purposes of determining an LEA's professional staff WPUS, unless the educator is or was employed in a special education position in an accredited school.

  (5) None of the following experiences are considered acceptable for purposes of determining an educator's experience under this rule:

  (a) unpaid volunteer service;

  (b) paid consulting;

  (c) employment in non-instructional or non-administrative positions in a school setting; or

  (d) a school internship.

  (6) The Superintendent may require an educator or LEA to provide documentation of an educator's experience in a private school, institution of higher education, or a regional service center to determine relevance of experience.