The Wyoming Senate passed a bill Wednesday to give local school districts the responsibility to decide how public school teachers evaluated. The power currently lies with the state.
House bill 37 was revived after a reconsideration vote during its second reading. And it passed its third reading with 3 dissenting votes. School districts and teachers across the state have widely supported the bill.
Sheridan Senator Senator Dave Kinksey voted against the bill. He said the current statute was created by the legislature to bring accountability to superintendents, principals, and teachers.
"And what House Bill 37 does is effectively guts or removes accountability for teachers," said Kinskey. "It waters it down. It reverses years of work by the select education committee."
If the Governor signs off on the bill, the Wyoming Board of Education will need to establish the rules to be used by school principals to evaluate teachers.