1. (1)

   1. (a) There is created the ULEAD Steering Committee.
   2. (b) The member described in Subsection (2)(b) and the member described in Subsection (2)(e) are the co-chairs of the steering committee.

2. (2) The steering committee shall consist of the following members each appointed for a term of two years:

   1. (a) the director;
   2. (b) one member of the state board appointed by the chair of the state board;
   3. (c) the state superintendent or the state superintendent's designee;
   4. (d) the staff director of the State Charter School Board or the director's designee;
   5. (e) one member appointed by the office of the governor;
   6. (f) one member, appointed by the director, who is a superintendent of a school district;
   7. (g) one member, appointed by the director, of a local school board;
   8. (h) two principals or other public school leaders of public schools that are not charter schools, appointed by the director;
   9. (i) one principal or other public school leader of charter schools, appointed by the director;
   10. (j) two educators who hold a current license under Chapter 6, Education Professional Licensure, nominated by LEA leaders and appointed by the director; and
   11. (k) one member representing citizens or business, nominated by the members of the public and appointed by the director.

3. (3)

   1. (a) A member of the steering committee may be appointed for more than one term.
   2. (b) If a midterm vacancy occurs on the steering committee, the appointing individual, as described in Subsection (2), for the vacant position shall appoint an individual for the remainder of the term.

4. (4)

   1. (a) The steering committee shall hold a meeting at least quarterly on dates chosen by the co-chairs, in consultation with the director.
   2. (b) The state board shall provide physical space for the steering committee to meet, or a means to participate in a meeting remotely.

5. (5) The steering committee shall:

   1. (a) discuss prospective and current ULEAD projects and findings;
   2. (b) consult with and make recommendations to the director to prioritize ULEAD reports and areas of focused research;
   3. (c) facilitate connections between the director and Utah's political, business, education technology, and academic communities;
   4. (d) make recommendations to improve gathering, retaining, and disseminating education data and research and evaluation findings for use by participating institutions and other education policy researchers, including data managed by the Utah Data Research Center created in Section 53H-15-202; and
   5. (e) annually vote on and establish steering committee priorities for ULEAD.

6. (6) In order to determine research priorities for ULEAD, the director shall consult with:

   1. (a) members of the Legislature responsible for public education;
   2. (b) members of Utah professional education associations, including principals and LEA governing board members; and
   3. (c) policy-research centers based in Utah.
7. (7) The state board or state superintendent may request that the director arrange with a participating institution to prepare a report on a specific LEA or area of practice meeting the criteria established in this part.
8. (8) A member of the steering committee may not receive compensation except a member who is a legislator shall receive compensation for travel and other expense reimbursements in accordance with Section 36-2-2.
9. (9) The steering committee shall hold a meeting described in this section in accordance with Title 52, Chapter 4, Open and Public Meetings Act.

Amended by Chapter 9, 2025 Special Session 1