By John Mooney
State’s lower chamber has busy spring ahead of it working on package of education legislation
Although the details are still to be worked out, a package of bills to improve teacher preparation and induction in the state will be among the priorities in the Assembly this spring, said the Democrats’ top legislator on education.
State Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan Jr. (D-Middlesex), chairman of the Assembly‘s education committee, said he hoped to have a package passed by the summer. He said the specifics are still being discussed, but they were along the lines of a proposal unveiled this fall by a coalition of groups led by the state’s teachers union that sought to tighten requirements on teacher training and support once on the job.
One bill already on the docket and up for discussion before Diegnan’s committee on Thursday would create new tier of “teacher leaders.” The measure, sponsored by Diegnan and state Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-Essex), would provide a career step for teachers short of leaving the classroom.
Filed a year ago, the bill passed the Senate education committee in December.
Other proposals could include mandates for mentoring new teachers, Diegnan said, and closer collaborations between teacher education programs and local school districts.
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