Hammond: ‘Building a new paradigm for instruction’

Sen. Jim Hammond, R-Coeur d’Alene, told the Senate, “Teaching is worthy of greater respect from our society than what we currently give it, and it’s worthy of compensation relative to its importance.” The former school principal said, “This bill is about starting over, it’s about stepping back. … It’s about building a new paradigm for instruction.”

He praised the provisions of SB 1108 that give principals more say over the staff at their schools. “We’re in the business of providing an education to our children, first of all, so they can be active citizens in our government, and secondly so that they know how to live in this modern day world,” he said. “I’m not crazy about this bill and the way it’s worded. But at some point, we need to start. Maybe this bill won’t be the final product. … But the good thing about it is we’re doing more than just talking. We’re really being forced to ask those hard questions. Yes, we could delay, and there’s a part of me that would really like to do that. But I also fear that that delay moves us back to the status quo, and we won’t really get to the point where we need to be.”