A hearing by the Senate Labor and Commerce commission in Olympia Tuesday focused on a bill to penalize teachers for one day walkouts. No teacher representatives showed up, but one student got a lot of attention.
Democrat Tim Sheldon sponsored the bill, but three other Democrats walked out of the hearing. Committee chair Michael Baumgartner was disappointed no teachers showed up.
Baumgartner: "I can say I was disappointed the NEA and teachers union did not accept our invitation to come and discuss this bill, this a very important subject. We have thousands of school kids not in class because of what I believe to be illegal strikes.”
But there was one student who waited till the end for her chance to speak. Issaquah Fourth grader Heather Gow voiced her opinion on the one day walkout that her instructor participated in.
Gow: "We don’t give our teachers enough credit for the work they do in Washington, that’s why I know our teachers should get paid for their strike days.”
A representative from the School Administrators Association said the bill could be a nightmare for administrators who would have to determine whether teachers were sick, taking a vacation, or on strike.
