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Committee holds bill on teacher apprenticeships after extended debate over degree requirements
Summary
Senate Bill 10 98, which would create a separate teacher‑apprenticeship code section and clarify apprenticeship roles, was held subject to call after committee discussion about bachelor’s‑degree requirements and program implementation.
Senate Bill 10 98 — which the sponsor described as a cleanup and a ‘‘Back to the Future’’ measure — was introduced to the Senate Education Committee with the stated goal of creating a new standalone code section for teacher apprenticeships, clarifying mentor‑teacher and apprentice roles, and aligning Idaho code with U.S. Department of Labor apprenticeship standards.
Sponsor Carrie Semmelroth told the committee the bill creates a new section (33‑12‑03a in the bill text) that defines mentor teacher and teacher apprentice roles and restores prior language in other sections. She said the intention is to convene a summer work group with P‑12, higher education, the state Department of Education, the State Board and Department of Labor to develop a statewide apprenticeship model.
A central point of debate in the committee was whether completion of an apprenticeship program should be tied to awarding a bachelor’s degree and whether state certification can or should be issued without a bachelor’s degree. Matthew Reiber of the State Board of Education told the committee the board had not taken a position on the legislation and that an earlier stakeholder process produced the program currently in place. Reiber said the apprenticeship program in its current form does not require a four‑year bachelor’s degree to be in the apprenticeship itself.
Senators raised multiple questions about transferability of certificates, how apprenticeship credit would be recognized by colleges and universities, and whether the bill would reintroduce prior statutory language that required a bachelor’s degree for a standard certificate. Sponsor Semmelroth and other supporters said the goal is that apprentices work toward a bachelor’s degree while earning credit — the ‘‘apprenticeship’’ would be scaffolded and competency‑based so participants earn credit and certification that would transfer across districts and states.
After extended debate and requests for more stakeholder discussion, Senator Woodward (mover) asked to hold the bill subject to call to the chair; the motion to hold was seconded and carried by voice vote. Committee members and the sponsor agreed additional stakeholder work and clarification of implementation details — including articulation with higher‑education institutions — are necessary before advancing the measure.
