6:47AM Wednesday
March 20, 2013

BOISE, Idaho (AP) Seniority would no longer be used as the sole criteria when Idaho school districts determine teacher layoffs under a bill advanced by a Senate committee. The legislation represents a rare moment of agreement between school boards and the state teachers' union, which spoke in support of the measure during the Senate Education Committee meeting Tuesday. The panel voted unanimously to send the proposal to the Senate floor. The bill has already passed in the House. Under the measure, school boards could consider factors like teacher performance evaluations when trimming teacher staff to meet budget needs. Idaho School Board Association Executive Director Karen Echeverria said the bill comes with a one-year sunset clause to give stakeholders a window to study its merit and plan for future policy changes.