The House Education Committee has approved SB 1147a on a divided vote, to ban so-called “evergreen” clauses in teachers union master agreement contracts that carry on from one year to the next. Paul Stark, attorney for the Idaho Education Association, said the bill violates the Idaho and U.S. constitutions by banning multi-year contract clauses retroactively to Nov. 21, 2012, the date that the voters’ rejection of Proposition 1 took effect. “We’re seeing a cut-and-paste from the repealed laws,” Stark told the committee. “The Legislature constitutionally is forbidden from nullifying contracts.” Two Idaho school districts, Twin Falls and Coeur d’Alene, had signed Memorandums of Understanding with their local teachers unions saying that if Proposition 1 and the “Students Come First” laws were voted down, they’d reinstate previous master agreements, including multi-year clauses/Betsy Russell, Eye on Boise. More here.

Question: Republican legislators know what's best for Idaho, even when their constituents disagree at the ballot box, right?