FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Lawmakers in Kentucky were presented with House Bill 319 in a committee hearing on Tuesday morning. The bill takes aim at the state’s teacher shortage.
“We’re trying to provide more tools, more opportunities to make it easier to get into the teaching profession,” said bill sponsor, Rep. James Tipton, R-Taylorsville.
The bill contains language that would provide better marketing and promotion of the teaching profession while offering an easier job search process and relaxing certain criteria to make the process of acquiring qualified teachers a bit easier, particularly as it relates to substitutes.
Those subs could be in the system for up to three years without having to be a part of the union, or taking part in the collective bargaining negotiations. But they would be eligible for retirement benefits they’d accrue over that time. There’s another matter Tipton hopes this bill will address.
“I had an individual in my district with a math degree who worked in business for many years and decided he wanted to do something different and was willing to teach and take a pay cut,” he explained.
The streamlined process, he hopes, will attract similar people who ultimately consider making the profession a permanent choice.
“HB-319 won’t solve the problem, but it is a positive start,” Tipton added.
