Local charter school favors new contract bill
Joel Lovstedt, the administrator of Connor Academy in Chubbuck, said he likes the “flexibility” the charter school bill on teacher contracts provides. It’s that “flexibility” that has many education stakeholders concerned, though.
On Monday in a 22-13 vote, Idaho’s Senate passed a bill that would let charter schools draft teacher contracts without needing approval from the State Department of Education.
Supporters of the bill say it lets charter schools develop contracts to better suit the school’s specific needs and circumstances.
It’s what makes Lovstedt a fan of it.
“If you’re happy with the contract you have you can go ahead and keep using it,” he said. “If you’d like to try something new and it works, great. If it doesn’t work, then you can go back to the old way.”
The Idaho Education Association claims the change would create inconsistencies between teachers and schools in the state. It says with no oversight, there isn’t guaranteed rights for the teacher.
The IEA also said it could create competition among teachers.
“Somebody in a charter school may be favored by their administration and they may get a really nice contract,” Penni Cyr, IEA’s president, said. “Somebody else may not be favored and might get a limited number of hours a day or other changes like that.”
Overall, though, the IEA is worried about the impact on employment relationships in school districts. Cyr said it’ll be hard for teachers to know where they stand.
Lovstedt thinks, if anything, only individual charter schools would suffer, not the whole state.
“(If I draft a bad contract) I will lose teachers and then they’ll go to another school district in Idaho. I don’t see them saying, ‘What a horrible contract, I’m leaving Idaho,'” he said.
Pocatello Community Charter School principal Michael Mendive said he doesn’t see the need for this kind of bill right now. He also said he likes the current system for contracts.
The bill will now head to the House, awaiting a house committee hearing.
