Rep. John Forgety (R-Athens) is carrying bills to rework Tennessee teachers’ salary schedule, as well as how (if at all) their licenses are tied to student value-added scores. Both take a second look at policies set last year by the State Board Of Education. (Image via YouTube/capitol.tn.gov)
Two policies set last summer by Tennessee’s school board are now being revisited by state lawmakers: how teachers can keep (or lose) their licenses, and how their salary is determined.
The new salary rule the board passed last year trimmed out some built-in raises for veteran teachers. Then there was the policy saying a teacher’s license could be taken away for bad student test scores, which the board has since reconsidered.
East Tennessee Representative John Forgety says as a retired educator himself, he was not in favor of either policy.
Forgety has bills up Tuesday in a House committee, to both rework the salary settings and to say no policy can take away a teacher’s license based on test data. Before that, both are scheduled for votes Monday night on the Senate floor.
Forgety is careful to say it’s not a turf war between lawmakers and the state board, or a repudiation of the state’s polarizing education commissioner, Kevin Huffman. Rather, he says the point is to get policies right for teachers and students, even if it takes state officials more than one try.
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One other key educational decision lawmakers are revisiting: the Common Core grade-level standards. Many lawmakers are trying to delay a new statewide test that’s aligned to Common Core and backed by Governor Bill Haslam, forcing Haslam to play defense.
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