Teachers oppose salary plan proposal

BOISE – Idaho teachers oppose a proposed salary plan allowing them to trade tenure for more pay, and they want a role in considering alternatives, educators told lawmakers Wednesday.

Several school administrators said they support the alternative model, which offers at least $3,000 more to teachers to give up their rolling contracts, because it will help them attract better employees. But teachers said they have been conspicuously absent from crafting the legislation, which they see as complex and unjust.

“None of the professionals who will be directly affected by this legislation were consulted during this drafting,” said Sherri Wood, president of the Idaho Education Association. “Involvement of those who are directly affected by the new compensation system is critical to its success.”

About 25 teachers attended an informal hearing on House Bill 294, a proposal by House Assistant Majority Leader Scott Bedke R-Oakley, designed in part to make it easier for districts to fire low-quality educators. Though lawmakers won’t try to tackle the legislation during this session, they’ve discussed ways to continue work this summer.

House Education Committee Chairman Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, said elected officials, not teachers or administrators, are stakeholders in the issue because they set the nearly $1.4 billion public schools budget.

“I get frustrated when I hear the IEA – and somewhat of the administrators – refer to themselves as the stakeholders,” he said. “They are the employees of the people of Idaho. When we spend that kind of money in a system, we can make those decisions. If the decisions we make aren’t the right decisions, then we can be challenged in elections every two years as many of us are.”

Wood said teachers support more pay, but increased salaries and job security are distinct issues.

“It is neither fair nor ethical to put educators in a position of choosing one over the other,” Wood said.

Michelle Faucher-Sharples, who teaches fourth grade at Bryan Elementary School in Coeur d’Alene, said that teachers at her school just learned about the proposal Sunday. None of her colleagues has supported it, she said, and teachers are unwilling to forgo their contracts for a $3,000 raise.

“I don’t think that’s a fair trade,” she said.

Teachers employed by a district for four years are entitled to continuing contracts – agreements guaranteeing annual performance reviews, a probationary period if administrators have concerns and a hearing before the school board should officials seek to fire a teacher.

HB 294 outlines an alternative career ladder approach that rewards teachers for certain accomplishments, such as earning a master’s degree or mentoring colleagues. The model allows a maximum of three-year contracts for teachers who have three or more years in the district.

Teachers could choose the new plan at any time, but they could not switch back.

Bill proponents say firing teachers is difficult and costly.

“I’ll bet every teacher in this room can think of three chronic underperforming teachers in their building or in their system, and that the system, as currently constituted, protects,” Bedke said.

But John Rumel, an attorney for the IEA, said “continuing contract status doesn’t mean a job for life. We’re talking about a system of fair employment” that requires good reasons to fire teachers, he said.

Chuck Kinsey, superintendent of Lakeland School District in Rathdrum, said the proposal would accomplish a similar result as a merit-based system – a controversial scheme to pay teachers based on student performance that the Legislature has explored for several years.

Kinsey called HB 294 “pro-teacher,” saying it will encourage them to earn a master’s degree, an important step as legislators emphasize dual enrollment between high schools and colleges.

“I believe the Lakeland District will have teachers standing in line for the opportunity to take advantage of this,” he said.

Lynne Peters, a teacher at Woodland Middle School in Coeur d’Alene, was less enthusiastic. She is concerned that the alternate system, if approved, might eventually become mandatory if school districts run short on money, she said.