BOISE — The Idaho House capped a busy week Friday by approving a $223 million teacher pay plan, sending the measure to the Senate with a 52-10 vote.
Rep. Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird, was the only representative from north central Idaho to oppose the bill.
The vote occurred during a rare Friday afternoon floor session. Several lawmakers were absent, including Giddings and Lewiston Reps. Mike Kingsley and Thyra Stevenson; before they left, however, they were able to indicate their vote on the bill by using a parliamentary procedure called “pairing.”
The teacher pay plan reflects the recommendation of Gov. Brad Little’s “Our Kids, Idaho’s Future” education task force. It creates a third rung on the career ladder pay scale for veteran teachers.
Under the proposal, school districts would receive $63,000 in state support for teachers with at least eight years of experience, up from $50,000 today. The increase would be phased in over five years.
The plan also boosts state support for beginning and mid-level teachers.
Rep. Bill Goesling, R-Moscow, noted that the legislation includes several accountability measures as well. For example, veteran teachers would only qualify for the advanced teacher pay if 75 percent of their students meet growth targets.
“This proposal has accountability. It works well for rural districts, and it helps taxpayers (by reducing the reliance on supplemental school levies),” Goesling said.
Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, offered the only negative debate on the bill. As vice chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, she noted that the Legislature has already boosted public school funding by more than $600 million over the past several years, with most of that going to teacher pay.
The bill now moves to the Senate for further action.
