Bill Targets Teachers’ Collective Bargaining
In the legislative session’s first blow against Idaho’s powerful teachers’ lobby, a Senate committee Thursday agreed to introduce a bill to make collective bargaining optional for school districts.
The Education Committee’s move came over the objections of Sen. Tim Tucker, D-Porthill, who protested that Idaho teachers do good work for low pay and deserve collective bargaining rights.
“It’s going to create more strikes and destroy the bargaining power of the teachers union,” Tucker said of the bill.
Sen. Rod Beck, R-Boise, argued for the measure, saying the state should leave such matters up to local districts. “Why should we as state lawmakers force a school district to negotiate with anybody?” he asked.
Tucker said that not only does he oppose restricting teachers’ ability to bargain collectively, he plans to introduce legislation later in the session to extend bargaining rights to educational support personnel, such as bus drivers and cooks.
“Some of these people don’t even know if they’re going to come back next year,” said Tucker.
In other action, the committee agreed to introduce a bill proposed by the Idaho Association of School Administrators that would allow local school boards to refuse to admit a student expelled from another district.
Committee members delayed action on another bill, which would allow school districts to impose dress codes.
Tucker said he would vote against any legislation that would call for strict dress codes. “If you turn the kids off by denying them basic expression you put a hurdle up in public schools that moves us away from focusing on education rather than external symbols,” he said.
Sen. Judi Danielson, R-Council, said she wouldn’t support a dress code policy unless it applied to everyone at the school.
“I’ve seen teachers who have a tendency to dress poorly. If we make demands on students we should make the same demands of instructors.”
That measure and another regarding dress codes will come before the committee together later in the session.