House begins debating teacher salary bill…

The House is now debating HB 698, the salary-based apportionment bill. Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, asked Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, the bill’s sponsor, whether the bill’s requirement that in the future, the state’s minimum teacher salary must rise by twice the percentage of the base salary for all teachers, would allow the minimum salary to rise without the base salary going up at all. Nonini said no. Ringo said, “It would seem to me we have violated it already this year, because we have increased the minimum pay for teachers without increasing the base at all.” She said, “I think it also makes a statement that we really value our new teachers more than we do our experienced ones. … Those people aren’t foolish, and they’re going to notice what the potential is for them in years out.”

Rep. Mack Shirley, R-Rexburg, said, “We’ve made significant improvements and we ought to feel good about our effort to support education this year, I believe.”