Power struggles: Office of Education spars with lawmakers

Simmering mistrust between some lawmakers and the State Office of Education — apparently stirred by word that a state education official might run against the House education committee chairman in November — bubbled up Wednesday after a debate over extra pay for math and science teachers.

Rep. Greg Hughes, R-Draper, unsuccessfully sought to substitute Sen. Howard Stephenson's SB35 with his HB471 in the House Education Committee. The proposal would have the state human resources department distribute $5,000 raises, essentially as a bonus, to current and future highly qualified math and science teachers, instead of the State Office of Education, which traditionally pays teachers.

But the committee narrowly voted down Hughes' proposal, then adjourned, sending Stephenson's bill back to rules.

Stephenson's bill is a budget priority for House Republicans, so there are good chances it will be debated in the full House. But Hughes mentioned that the $5 million price tag might be enough for just a $3,500 raise for the targeted teachers.

"What we need is a beginning," Stephenson, R-Draper, said after the committee meeting. "I would support any amount as a beginning, and we could come back in future years and adjust that."

But Hughes' attempted substitute bill ruffled feathers at the State Office of Education. Initially miffed that the committee did not have time for public comment, the dispute intensified when deputy state superintendent Larry Shumway and Hughes discussed the event.

Shumway said the board supports additional pay for high-demand teachers, money hoped to make teaching an attractive career choice for math and science majors. But he doesn't like Hughes wanting to pay $300,000-plus to the state human resources department to do the work the education office would do with no extra charge.

But for Hughes, the issue is about trust.

His heated discussion with Shumway and other state school bosses after the committee adjourned included a history of incidents, including the miscount leading to a shortfall on this year's promised $2,500 raise for schoolteachers, after which several school districts preferred to wait to give teachers the full amount until lawmakers filled in the budgetary gap. While Shumway said his office gave districts the money in monthly installments as always, Hughes said that district action "said to legislators, we don't trust you to do what you said you would do."