House Ed introduces compromise teacher pay bill, hearing planned tomorrow

The House Education Committee has voted unanimously this morning to introduce new compromise legislation on teacher salaries; it’ll hold a full hearing on the bill tomorrow morning. House Education Chairman Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, said the only differences between his compromise bill and the earlier one from Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, that passed the Senate unanimously, is that in addition to canceling the future teacher pay cuts mandated by last year’s “Students Come First” reform laws, the bill also requires funding minimum teacher salary increases in 2014 and beyond at twice the rate of any base salary boost for teachers, rather than the 1.5 times currently required by law; along with declaring all the “Students Come First” reforms, including phasing in a laptop computer for every high school student, funding a teacher merit-pay bonus program, and a dual-credit program for early high school completers, to be top budget priorities, along with student enrollment increases, before any other school funding increases.

Nonini said, “I think it’s good policy to set forth in this regard.” Rep. Mack Shirley, R-Rexburg, said, “It, in my opinion, is a great compromise to Sen. Cameron’s bill, and an improvement in some ways. I think it fulfills the expectation that many of us have had for the backfill of teacher salaries.” He moved to introduce the bill, and the motion passed unanimously.

Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, said, “This is good positive thinking for the future, however, if indeed the economy surprises us and moves the other direction, then we might have to rethink this in the future.” The new bill replaces Nonini’s earlier proposal, which would only have canceled the cuts to salary-based apportionment for next year, leaving future years’ cuts in place; the first cut occurred this year, and would not be restored under either bill.