Teachers could see increased evaluation

School administrators would be required to spend more time evaluating teacher performance under a bill discussed by the Education Committee Jan. 23.

LB809, introduced by Omaha Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh, would establishe a standardized evaluation framework.

Chris Proulx, Omaha Education Association president, testified in support of the bill. He said the quality of teachers directly translates to the success of a school.

“We don’t need more administrators,” Proulx said. “We just need to make sure our priorities are in order.”

Opponents of the bill said most districts currently have stringent teacher evaluation requirements.

Nancy Biggs, representing the Nebraska Council of School Administrators, said additional time is not necessary.

“Adding the extra time doesn’t really improve the quality of what’s happening,” Biggs said. “It just improves the amount of time.”

Nebraska Department of Education representative Brian Halstead testified in a neutral capacity. He said the department undertook the issue of teacher evaluation more than a year ago.

“We have already established teacher performance frameworks used by most districts,” Halstead said.

The committee took no immediate action on the bill.