OLYMPIA, Feb. 14.—Sounds like a compromise is afoot on teacher evaluations, one of the biggest points of dispute between business and union interests this session – and just in time, too.

            Lawmakers face a deadline today to move policy bills in the House and Senate.

            The teacher-evaluation bill, one of two big measures pushed by a coalition of business groups and education-advocacy organizations, was looking like a goner a couple of weeks ago after House and Senate education chairs put their feet down. The groups were pushing legislation on evaluations and charter schools, and unions and established K-12 organizations were battling tooth and nail. At one point the Senate Education Committee came to a standstill when a majority of members said that if Chairwoman Rosemary McAuliffe wouldn’t allow a vote on the charter-school measure, they weren’t going to vote on anything else.

            And while it all gets awfully complicated, the teacher-evaluation measure was killed in the Senate at the same time.

            Charter schools may not be going anywhere this year. But teacher evaluations, the less controversial of the two bills, appear to have new life after nine hours of negotiations over five days, overseen by Gov. Christine Gregoire. The governor was pushing a teacher-evaluation bill of her own that didn’t have the same teeth  – and her version was supported by the Washington Education Association, the state’s leading teachers’ union. The key point is that the compromise apparently requires the evaluations to be used as “a factor” in employment decisions. The WEA battled that idea as an assault on teacher seniority rules.

            No details were available through official means. The bill is to be formally released sometime later today when the measure is expected to receive a vote on the floor of the Senate.

            Statement is Issued

            A joint statement hailing progress was issued late Monday afternoon by Senate Education Chair Rosemary McAuliffe, Senate Republican education lead Steve Litzow, and Rep. Kristine Lytton, vice-chair of the House Education Committee.

            “We are close to a compromise on a teacher-evaluation proposal that still needs to be vetted by our Democratic and Republican colleagues in the Senate and House,” McAuliffe said. “The input of my caucus colleagues is very important to me and I wouldn’t move forward without their thoughts. It’s imperative we reach a decision to ensure our children can have the highest quality education in the classroom.”

            Litzow said, “We are working hard to reach a bipartisan agreement on this proposal, which I hope can be turned into legislation to be voted on tomorrow,” Litzow said. “I believe this is a critical vote to take for the quality of our children’s education.”

            And the statement from Lytton concluded, “There have been many substantive, bipartisan conversations with all advocacy groups. I believe we are close to an agreement that would take our state’s teacher evaluation to the next level, and my colleagues and I will continue working until we find a solution that will help all our students.”

            Details, Details

            If it all sounds a bit vague, it is. Another participant in the talks, state Rep. Bruce Dammeier, R-Puyallup, provided details to a reporter from The News Tribune of Tacoma early Monday, then thought better of it later in the day. “I’ve learned from my mistakes,” he said.

            But you can read about it here.

            The compromise builds on a teacher-and-principal evaluation program approved by the Legislature in the last session and which is to launch in the 2013-14 school year. The most significant detail is that evaluations must be “a factor” in laying off or reassigning teachers and principals, starting in 2015-16. New teachers with poor scores would not be able to obtain tenure, and would remain on provisional status. Veteran teachers who receive the worst rankings would be terminated after two years, though various due-process rights would apply.

            Dammeier said he had participated in all nine hours of the negotiations, and at times the outcome appeared dicey. “In all honesty I thought it wouldn’t happen, and there were a couple of times when I thought the negotiations would probably not be successful. At this point it appears we may have something that will work for everybody, and I am very excited about that.”

            Dammeier said he does not expect the charter school bill to be revived and appended to the teacher-evaluation measure. It remains at least a technical possibility, but Dammeier said, “I would not anticipate any amendments of that magnitude being associated with that bill.”

            And prospects for that measure don’t appear promising. McAuliffe and her counterpart in the House, Sharon Tomiko Santos, are strongly opposed, as are WEA and other lobbying organizations associated with the existing K-12 system.

            Said Dammeier, “I don’t see any legislation moving right now, but you know, this place can be interesting.”

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