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Eye On Boise

Teacher performance-pay debate: Goedde says there’s ‘no funding source’

Sen. John Goedde, standing at right, answers questions from Sen. Michelle Stennett, standing at left, on the teacher performance pay bill, SB 1110, in the Senate on Thursday. Goedde told Stennett there's
Sen. John Goedde, standing at right, answers questions from Sen. Michelle Stennett, standing at left, on the teacher performance pay bill, SB 1110, in the Senate on Thursday. Goedde told Stennett there's "no funding source" for the estimated first-year cost of $38 million in fiscal year 2013. (Betsy Russell)

Sen. John Goedde, opening debate on SB 1110, the teacher performance pay bill, said it will reward teachers with bonuses for outstanding work, and let districts pay more to those in hard-to-fill positions. "Senators, we have an educator pay scale that's built in the 19th century," Goedde said. "It doesn't work, it doesn't recognize excellence."

Sen. Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, said, "I'm having a hard time understanding how we're actually funding this. Where does the money actually come from?"

Goedde said the cost would be $38 million starting in fiscal year 2013, and "there is no funding source attached to this." In subsequent years, according to the bill, it would cost $51.3 million a year.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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