Idaho Education Committee Will Debate Education Bills

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho House Education Committee has agreed to debate bills that would give school boards more power when negotiating with teacher unions, even though similar laws were already struck down by voters last November. Three Democrats on the committee voted against one of the bills presented by Idaho School Boards

Association Director Karen Echeverria, but 12 Republicans voted in favor of the legislation, which allows school boards to unilaterally impose contract terms on the teacher's union if negotiations fail. No one on the committee voted against the other two bills brought by the ISBA. One gives school boards more flexibility for layoffs and the other puts a time limit on how long employees have to sign their contracts each year.