By the narrowest of votes, 38-37, the House Thursday approved a bill that would dedicate $22.2 million for pay hikes for beginning teachers, those who have been in the profession five years or less.

Rep. Brad Johnson, R-Aurora, said it would be better if school boards or school districts increased the pay for a first-year teacher to $30,000 _ as his HB188 does. "But they can't," he said, because veteran teachers sit on the pay negotiation councils of each of Utah's 40 school districts, so older teachers get districts to increase seasoned teachers' pay more.

The bill sparked a half-hour debate, with a number of legislators saying Johnson's bill would take money away from veteran teachers or other public education programs and give it to beginning teachers, and others arguing that senior teachers should be paid more and that Johnson's bill would actually increase the teacher shortage through pay inequity.

Rep. Jim Gowans, D-Tooele, a retired school superintendent, quoted scary statistics: 2,770 teachers leave teaching each year in Utah, most of them not retiring but quitting because of low pay or better jobs outside of public education.

A good teacher is more valuable than a good doctor or attorney, said Johnson. "Some, we couldn't raise enough money to keep them" in teaching. But other Utah teachers, "well, they might owe us money" because they aren't very good at their jobs. HB188 now goes to the Senate.