Kansas House Votes to Restore Teacher Tenure

The Kansas House has taken a step to restore guaranteed teacher tenure after GOP lawmakers ended it in 2014.

The House gave first-round approval Tuesday after Prairie Village Democratic Rep. Jerry Stogsdill attached the tenure bill as an amendment to another bill.

Supporters say the amendment ensures due process for teachers but opponents say local school boards and districts should have control over tenure decisions.

There is a tenure bill in the Education Committee but it hasn’t received a vote. An upcoming deadline for bills to pass their committee of origin could have killed it.

The teachers’ union sued over the 2014 measure, saying it violated the Constitution because it was attached to a budget bill on the House floor. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled in favor of the legislature.