“I am absolutely disgusted that House Bill 4647 made its way out of our chamber yesterday, given how completely irresponsible it is fiscally and morally. This legislation will severely hamper our ability to attract and retain talented, dedicated teachers — the backbone of any public school system. Without a well-educated student body we jeopardize our ability to produce a well-equipped workforce in the future. We rank 35th in the nation for school performance, but it would seem that isn’t low enough for some of my colleagues. This bill will kill our chances at competitiveness.
“The students who are already struggling in overcrowded, underfunded classrooms deserve better. The teachers who cannot save for tomorrow because they’re forced to invest their own money in our classrooms today deserve better. The businesses in our state that will be struggling to find skilled, qualified workers because we don’t have the teachers needed to educate our students deserve better. Our state deserved better. But this is what partisanship gave them.”