Bit by bit, the Tennessee General Assembly is reforming education, both to control costs and to make the interests of students the priority. But there is still a ways to go.
While the state House of Representatives and Senate are moving in the direction of reining in so-called collective-bargaining “rights” for teachers, the Republican-controlled bodies are not fully agreed on how to do that. The Senate version of the legislation is stronger, as it would keep school districts from engaging in collective-bargaining negotiations with teachers unions altogether.
That makes it the better bill, because government employees – who work for our entire public – shouldn’t be empowered to negotiate collectively against the taxpayers who pay their salaries.
Therefore, the watered-down House bill should be strengthened to match the Senate bill, and the legislation should be passed in both bodies. Then Gov. Bill Haslam should sign it into law.
As Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, has correctly stated: “Last November, Tennesseans issued a mandate to the Republican majority to institute bold and meaningful education reform. … [The bill] to outlaw locking taxpayers into funding union contracts is a prime example of the kind of reform Tennesseans have requested.”