Republicans Tout Education Changes
Air Date:03/25/2011
By Kealey Bultena
Republican leaders in the Statehouse are celebrating the latest version of the governor’s education bill, but Democrats remain skeptical. Large portions of House Bill 1234 changed in a Senate committee last week.
Lawmakers have repeatedly amended critical components of the education evaluation overhaul that is HB 1234. Republican lawmakers say it’s now the people’s bill, not just the governor’s. Senator Russell Olson from Wentworth touts the bill’s focus on local control.
"If they don’t like the defined areas and menu options for how to incentivize their teachers, if they don’t like it, they can still come up with their own plan and submit it to a board that is going to take a look at that. And if it goes toward the end objective that is advancing students, that’s going to get approved," Olson says. "If you’re not an administrator that’s smart enough to come up with a plan to work in that, then you probably shouldn’t be administrating that school."
Democrats say the tenets of 1234 don’t promote student achievement. Leaders of that party say they can’t support the bill with so much opposition from teachers, administrators and parents.
House Bill 1234 goes to the full Senate Monday afternoon.
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