Little signs bill to bankroll teacher raises

To the surprise of pretty much no one, Gov. Brad Little has put the final pen strokes to his plan to increase teacher pay.

On Thursday, Little signed the spending bill that bankrolls his plan to boost starting teacher salaries to $40,000 over two years.

House Bill 286 funds the first year of the plan to increase salaries, at an overall cost of about $3.8 million. The spending bill is a followup to a bill that puts the new salaries into state law — a bill Little signed during a March 20 Statehouse ceremony.

While Thursday’s signing was a formality, Little did take to Twitter to mark the event.

And several people took to social media to urge Little to veto two bills that would greatly restrict the voter initiative process. Both controversial bills are headed to the governor’s desk.

 

Kevin Richert

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 30 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KevinRichert. He can be reached at [email protected]

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