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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Both chambers of the Kansas Legislature approved changes Thursday in the rules for collective bargaining between school boards and teachers unions.
The House and Senate passed separate bills that reflect a compromise that school administrators, boards, superintendents, and teachers' unions reached in January.
The House's vote on its bill was 109-14, and the Senate's vote on its measure was 40-0. Negotiators from each chamber will draft the final version of the bill.
State law currently compels the two sides to bargain on 31 issues each negotiations cycle, in addition to pay and hours. Critics have said the policy leads to deadlocks and distractions in talks.
The House bill would instead instruct each side to select five mandatory topics of discussion in addition to pay and hours. The Senate bill would allow the sides to select three mandatory additional topics.
Dodie Wellshear, a lobbyist for the United School Administrators of Kansas, said the education groups had been "shocked" that legislative committees had earlier refused to advance legislation reflecting the compromise but instead endorsed several conservative measures that restricted collective bargaining more drastically.
In the end, the compromise language entered the House and Senate bills as amendments.
Mark Desetti, a lobbyist for Kansas National Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, said the victory of the compromise showed the system works.
"I think process worked as it's supposed to work. We got hurt, we got frustrated, we talked to people, people listened to us and I think right decision was made by the House today, and I think a good decision was made by the Senate tonight," Desetti said.
But the victory for the education groups may be short lived, he said. Despite the broad support for the collective bargaining changes, he said he does not expect to have the same backing among lawmakers when it comes to avoiding potential cuts to education funding.
The state is facing budget shortfalls of nearly $600 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1 and Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has said he intends to cut $28 million from schools to fill gaps in the current budget if the Legislature does not create alternative savings.
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Online:
House bill: http://bit.ly/1847UA5
Senate bill: http://bit.ly/1AyQIyj
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