Black Says Veto Override Vote Won't Happen

Gov. Mike Easley vetoed

House Bill 706

last month, which would allow any teacher deemed "highly qualified" in another state to be licensed in North Carolina. Easley said the measure would lower standards and hurt students.

House Speaker Jim Black said Tuesday that a committee would be created to try to reach a compromise with education officials over how to solve the state's teacher shortage.

"The bill says that anybody can come in from another state. The governor says that no one can come in from another state without jumping through hoops," Black said. "Somewhere in between, there's a compromise and we've already talked about what some of those are."

That compromise started last week when the State Board of Education approved a policy that it said would relax standards for teachers coming to the state without compromising quality. It also would allow out-of-state teachers to teach in North Carolina without a certification exam if they have taken and passed a similar exam and if they meet the state's teaching standards.

Black also said the compromise would also involve raising teachers' salaries, which Easley was planning to do.

House Democrats met Monday night and Tuesday morning before agreeing to study the matter with local superintendents and other legislators.

Lawmakers are scheduled to still meet Wednesday, but only briefly. The Legislature still could hold an override vote later if a compromise is not reached.