The House Education Committee has approved HB 698, the teacher-pay bill that cancels the future "Students Come First" cuts to teacher salary funds, while setting budget priorities for fiscal year 2014 saying that the reform programs will be top priority for funding. The approval, however, came only after committee members expressed concerns about a clause in the bill that will bump up the minimum teacher salary more whenever the Legislature funds an increase in base salaries for all teachers; under the bill, the minimum salary would go up by twice the percentage, rather than 1.5 times.

Jason Hancock, aide to state schools Superintendent Tom Luna, said that's not likely to be an issue any time soon; currently, both base teacher salaries and the minimum teacher salary are below their 2009 levels. "Based on the other provisions we have in statute, the first thing that has to happen is that pay for performance has to get funded, so that's the first place where new dollars go, going forward," he said.

Rep. Donna Pence, D-Gooding, expressed concern that the higher minimum salary means new teachers will continue at the same salary before nine years before getting a pay raise. Hancock said they'd be eligible for merit-pay bonuses under "Students Come First," and said if Idaho hadn't set the higher minimum teacher salary, the state's teachers now would start at just over $23,000 rather than the current $30,000.  "I don't know about you, but if I was asked as a new employee, do you want to start at $30,000 now ... or would you rather start at $23,000 and then over a nine-year period we will gradually get you to $30,000, I'd take the $30,000 now," he said.

Rep. Rich Wills, R-Glenns Ferry, said he thought that was something the Legislature should re-examine in the future. He recalled that in his career as a law enforcement officer, after four years on the job his salary was raised, "but I was right back at where the starting people were. ... That didn't set well with me." He said, "It seems to me somewhere we've got to make a break from starting salary to move them to where they are above someone that's just come in."

The bill was approved on a voice vote, but the panel's three Democrats voted against it; it now moves to the full House.