Legislature creates SHINE teacher supplement and $1,000 school-based classified stipend; USBE outlines reporting and timing

Utah State Board of Education staff told LEA finance and HR contacts that the 2025 legislature restructured teacher supplements and added a new $1,000 stipend for school-based classified personnel for FY26.

Sam Yuri said the Teacher Salary Supplement Program (TSSP) has been reworked and renamed SHINE (Salary Supplement for Highly Needed Educators). "SHINE replaces the teacher salary supplement program," Yuri said, and USBE will continue to use the same program code for carryforwards. LEAs must adopt a local policy identifying high-need assignments and a method for prorating when appropriate, staff said.

Classified school-based stipend: eligibility and timing The legislature appropriated a one-time $1,000 supplemental stipend per full-time equivalent (plus benefits) for school-based nonlicensed staff ("education support professionals"), including bus drivers and school nutrition staff who work at school sites. Yuri said employees must be employed as of September 1 to qualify; USBE plans to collect employee and benefits data through a survey or the Utah Grants/Qualtrics process so the agency can calculate exact allotments and avoid invoicing LEAs. USBE expects to distribute allotments so LEAs can pay staff by November; the stipend is intended to be a lump-sum payment rather than monthly.

Reporting and coding - SHINE teacher supplements will be recorded in Cactus with a checkbox and an eligible-teacher roster due to USBE by Sept. 15; reporting in Cactus will be due by Oct. 13. Yuri said the licensing division is training HR staff on processes and provided a guidance spreadsheet. LEAs must publish a local policy describing how SHINE awards are determined and prorated. - Classified stipend reporting: USBE will collect benefits and FTE information to calculate each LEA's allotment; details on format (Qualtrics vs. Utah Grants) and exact due dates will be posted ahead of the fall collection window.

What counts, and common questions USBE staff clarified examples during Q&A: the stipend covers school-based employees whose regular duties include on-site student interaction; central-office business administrators, HR staff and the like generally are not eligible unless they are substantially assigned at a school site. Part-time workers are prorated (for example, a half-time para receives $500). LEAs will provide benefits-loading information so USBE can send a total lump-sum amount that includes associated benefits.

Next steps USBE staff said they will post SHINE guidance, sample spreadsheets, and the reporting checklist and will accept questions via schoolfinance@schools.utah.gov. The agency also cautioned LEAs to include stipends and supplements on their budgets and to watch for the final chart-of-accounts and program codes for FY26.