Bill would make it easier for professionals to teach

Two key changes to competency-based licensing of teachers will make a major impact in the ability of working professionals to become teachers in public schools.  This change also makes a significant leap forward in expanding local control of education, greatly empowering local school boards of districts and charter schools to have the only say in what makes a teacher qualified to provide instruction to students at local schools.

H.B. 84, by Greg Hughes, changes competency-based licensing in the following ways:

• Would allow districts and charters to set their own standards for whom is qualified to teach.
• Would not allow the State Board or State Office to deny a competency-based license once requested by a local school for a candidate that has met the local standards.

Further, the bill gives specific credence to transcripts from military education and service.  The bill also puts the decision of granting an official teaching license in the hands of the local school board after the competency-based teacher has taught and been evaluated by the standards of the local school.

This is an expansion of local control, and will therefore be controversial for lawmakers and interest groups who don't believe in local control except when local people would control things just like the interest groups would.