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House advances changes to teacher layoff criteria (AUDIO)

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The House has given initial approval to a very stripped down bill dealing with teacher layoffs.

Representative Scott Dieckhaus (photo courtesy: Missouri House Communications)

Language dealing with teacher tenure was stripped out of the proposal. What remains is a change to what is often called “last in, first out.” The proposed new policy would require administrators to decide what teachers to cut based first on performance, as well as training and certification, but not on salaries or seniority.

Elementary and Secondary Education chairman, Republican Scott Dieckhaus (R-Washington), says the bill, HB 1526, was the result of a compromise within his caucus. “They had some concerns about some of the other provisions that were in the bill and I asked them, if we were able to work some of those provisions out between now and next session and work on those down the road but press on with the (last in, first out) issue, if they could be supportive. Clearly there was a large number of my colleagues that are supportive of that.”

The vote on the bill was close; 80-78 on perfection. To advance to the Senate it will have to get 82 votes on third reading. That vote will likely happen today.

AUDIO:  Representatives Scott Dieckhaus and Jason Holsman (D-Kansas City) discuss the bill, 13:03

Education bill might move this week

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After a month without action, some movement might happen this week on a comprehensive education bill in the House.

Representative Scott Dieckhaus

Majority Floor Leader Tim Jones (R-Eureka) and Elementary and Secondary Education Committee Chairman Scott Dieckhaus (R-Washington) both suggest the package sponsored by Dieckhaus might pass out of the House Rules Committee this week. The bill includes fixes for the Foundation Formula and the Turner Decision.

House Democrats are critical of the bill’s inclusion of tuition tax credits, otherwise referred to as “passport scholarships.”  Dieckhaus says they are needed to let the legislation benefit all of the students in the St. Louis City public schools.

He says if surrounding St. Louis County school districts cap capacity at 8,300 students, that won’t be enough. “We need to serve 15,740 students … the passport scholarships could help us serve an additional 8,000 students, so we can actually serve that full number of students.”

Dieckhaus says that language is more specific to St. Louis, while a different approach is needed for students from Kansas City-area schools. A proposal that is being considered, but has not yet been added to the bill, is based on what has worked in New Orleans schools. “The top performing schools became the New Orleans Parish School District, and the rest of the schools were chartered and they’ve seen really tremendous progress by doing that and we’re wondering if we can replicate that.” Dieckhaus says such a plan might be considered when the bill reaches the floor.

His proposal also includes scaled back language dealing with teacher tenure. Seniority-based layoffs were removed, decisions about salaries are returned to local school boards, and tenure is eliminated for teachers hired for the 2013-14 school year or later.

Look at Dieckhaus’ bill, HB 1740