House panel OKs, kills teacher pay bill in same day

BOISE (AP) - The latest revision of a bill to boost teacher pay in Idaho during the next five years showed promise of passing early Wednesday morning, but the legislation was killed just eight hours later.

The House Education Committee is now scheduled to vote on introducing a third amended version of the legislation Thursday.

The key piece of legislation is the largest hurdle Idaho lawmakers face before they can adjourn this session. Lawmakers are already preparing to go past their expected March 27 end-date because of delays over the teacher-pay bill.

Legislative leaders and the governor said teacher pay was one of the top issues this session. The goal is to stop the exodus of teachers leaving the state for better-paying jobs.

However, finding a compromise that appeases the Republican-controlled Idaho Legislature, teachers unions and education officials has consumed most of the session. The first draft prompted outcries from teachers who opposed student evaluations being tied to their pay raises. Meanwhile, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle objected that the bill didn't bump teacher pay enough while also failing to guarantee the Idaho Legislature would provide the adequate funding for the next five years.

The proposal presented Wednesday would have bumped beginning teacher pay from $31,750 to $32,700 a year. But Republican Rep. Ryan Kerby from New Plymouth balked at the way pay bonuses were structured.

Known as a "teacher premiums," the $4,000 bonuses goes to teachers with more than eight years of experience who clear a series of benchmarks.

"This is going to be a very bitter pill if this goes through," Kerby said. "We would like to see those folks work together."

Vice-Chairwoman Julie VanOrden from Pingree says Kerby's concerns caused them to pull back the amended proposal.

"We wanted to make sure things were done right," VanOrden said. "We wanted to make sure everyone on the committee was being heard."

VanOrden added that it's doubtful a new version will be introduced if more concerns are raised Thursday.