Ron RamseyNASHVILLE-Republican Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey said Thursday he thinks GOP senators will succeed in persuading House Republicans to go along with changes in legislation stripping teachers of their collective bargaining rights.
He said Senate Republicans are “very, very close” on an amendment that “will let the teachers’ voice be heard and still have the school board be the ultimate decider of policy.”
Ramsey said he has been working with House Republicans and “hopefully we can actually get that amendment” accepted by House Republicans.
Earlier in the day, the sponsor of the repeal bill, Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, sent the full-repeal bill back to the Education Committee for additional work. Johnson told The Associated Press that he wants to adopt the current practices of the more than 40 school districts in the state that don’t currently negotiate with teachers’ unions.
“We do think that the union influence should be taken out,” he told the AP. “But we do want teachers to have a seat at the table. We want them to be involved.”