K-12 overhaul on Senate floor today

NASHVILLE -- Legislation transforming how Tennessee teachers are evaluated and granted tenure is expected to come to the Senate floor for a final vote today. The measure could reach the House floor for final action as well, lawmakers said.

The bill, which Gov. Phil Bredesen says is necessary to apply for $485 million in federal Race to the Top funds, passed the Senate Education Committee Thursday on a 13-0 vote. House Education Committee members approved it Thursday afternoon on a 21-1 vote, following nearly 10 hours of debate over two days during this week's special session on education.

House Finance Committee members are expected to take up the legislation this morning. House Speaker Kent Williams, a Carter County Republican, said the bill could be on the floor by afternoon or early evening.

"I'm extremely pleased with how it's turned out, especially with the TEA (state teachers union) coming aboard," Rep. Williams told reporters, noting the Education Committee vote was bipartisan. "I'm positive it's going to pass on the floor now."

The legislation's way was eased earlier this week when the 55,000-member Tennessee Education Association and the Bredesen administration struck a deal on evaluations and tenure. Fifty percent will be based on student achievement.

Thirty-five percent of that would come through the Tennessee Value Added Assessment System, which measures individual teacher effect on student learning gains. Fifteen percent would come from other measures.

"We think it has some good things for teachers and some safeguards around evaluations," TEA President Earl Wiman said.

TEA's chief lobbyist, Jerry Winters, has said among other things, the bill allows teachers across the state to enjoy the same right to have an impartial administrative officer review firings as Memphis and Nashville teachers have.

Gov. Phil Bredesen told reporters that Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, and Rep. Williams "have assured me this is going to move forward, and it's going to get done."

The state must have its federal Race to the Top application in to U.S. Education Department officials by Tuesday afternoon. Gov. Bredesen said he hoped the bill could be finished Friday evening at the latest.

"Pushing this stuff back to the very, very final minute is a little nail-biting for me," he said. "If they could get it done (by Friday), I would love them to do that."

Other major bill provisions include having annual evaluations of teachers and principals. Currently, the figure is twice in a 10-year period.

If the state wins the competitive process for a grant, local school systems would get about $242 million of the $485 million. But, Rep. Williams cautioned, "there's still no guarantee we're going to get the ($485 million)."

During Finance Committee deliberations, Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, questioned whether officials can really get the evaluations done annually without adding substantial new staff.

State Education Commissioner Tim Webb said the issue had not been discussed with local systems but will be. He expressed confidence the state and locals can devise the appropriation procedures to get the job done.

Sen. Watson also raised concerns, as did a number of GOP lawmakers, about the sustainability of programs after federal funds run out. But in the end, he voted for the bill.

"Everybody keeps writing in the literature that you got to have the best, most effective teachers in the classroom, and I think this moves the ball in that direction," he said.

Meanwhile, differences have arisen between Rep. Williams and the governor over another aspect of the special session, a proposal to restructure higher education. House Speaker Williams said the proposals may need to be dealt with in the regular session, noting he thought the K-12 bill would have moved more quickly. The earliest they could consider the issue is Tuesday, he said.

Gov. Bredesen said he still wants lawmakers to act on the proposals now.

"I have called them into special session to deal with this, and I would like them to deal with this in the special session," he said.