1. law, govt and politics

House Bill H0296
2015 Freedom Index Score: (-3)
Analyst: Parrish Miller
Date of analysis: March 20, 2015
ANALYST'S NOTE: House Bill 296 (which takes the place of the similar House Bill 222) is a complicated,
34-page bill that creates a 'career ladder' for teachers and spends in excess of$100 million over the next
five years doing so. In addition to creating a 'residency compensation' rung and a 'professional
compensation' rung on this 'ladder,' the bill would allow for additional rungs based on attaining
additional education. Obtaining a 'professional endorsement' would be the key to advancing from the
residency rung to the professional rung. The other component is "measurable student achievement"
which includes standardized tests such as the Common Core SBAC test.
Among the numerous problems with this bill is the fundamental fact that the bill continues to champion
experience and educational levels, found in current state law, over more free market endeavors that
reward great teachers wherever they may be in their professional journey. A dynamic first-year teacher
who engages her students will earn far less than a disinterested veteran who has racked up degrees and
focuses on test preparation. This bill fails to correctly define or identify what success really looks like and
serves to tie compensation and advancement to the wrong metrics.
Point No. 4 — Does it increase barriers to entry into the market? Examples include occupational
licensure, the minimum wage, and restrictions on home businesses. Conversely, does it remove barriers
to entry into the market?
ANALYSIS: House Bill 296 creates Section 33-1004B, Idaho Code, to declare that "effective July
1, 2015, all existing instructional staff shall be placed in a cohort on the career ladder starting
with the second cell on the residency/professional compensation rung that corresponds with
the next higher allocation amount than is currently received by the district, based on the
experience and education index pursuant to section 33-1004A, Idaho Code, as applied in fiscal
year 2015." [Page 13, lines 13-18]
The new section goes on tie compensation to years of service and obtaining a "professional
endorsement." "Instructional staff who are in their first year of holding a certificate shall be
placed in the first cell of the residency compensation rung and shall move one (1) cell on the
residency compensation rung for each year they hold a certificate thereafter, for up to three (3)
years, at which point they will remain in the third cell of the residency rung until they earn a
professional endorsement." This serves as a marketplace barrier to entry for aspiring, top-rate
teachers whose compensation should be reflective of their skills and abilities. [Page 13, lines 2833] (-1)
ANALYSIS: House Bill 296 offers $4,000 annual bonuses to what it calls "master teachers." The
bill creates Section 33-1004I, Idaho Code, to define and set compensation for these individuals.
One might hope that this is where we find more relevant metrics, but alas we are again to be
disappointed. As with the previous criticism of this bill, the master teacher designation requires
an arbitrary level of experience in the education field, depriving other well-qualified educators
of the same reward for hard work. The bill says:
"The minimum qualifications for an instructional staff employee to earn a master teacher
designation shall be as follows:
(a) The instructional staff employee must have eight (8) or more years of teaching
experience provided that the three (3) years immediately preceding the award must be
continuous;
(b) The instructional staff employee must demonstrate mastery of instructional techniques
for not less than three (3) of the previous five (5) years of instruction through:
(i) Artifacts demonstrating evidence of effective teaching; and;
(ii) Successful completion of an annual individualized professional learning plan;
and
(c) A majority of the instructional staff employee's students meet measurable student
achievement as defined in section 33-1001, Idaho Code, for not less than three (3) of
the previous five (5) years.
Tying pay and bonuses to such activities is anti-free market, denies teachers the opportunity to
innovate, and will not bring about a better education system for Idaho. [Page 27, lines 39-47 and
Page 28, lines 1-5] (-1)
ANALYSIS: House Bill 296 modifies Section 33-1204, Idaho Code, to stipulate that "rules
promulgated by the state board of education shall set forth criteria for renewal of administrator
certificates, which shall include a requirement that administrator certificate holders must
complete a course consisting of a minimum of three (3) semester credits in the statewide
framework for teachers evaluations, such course shall include a laboratory component."
Requirements of this nature only serve to empower government regulatory entities, not to
improve the quality of education or the performance of educators. [Page 31, lines 1-8] (-1)