August 29 Legislative Report: Lee Byung-ho’s Bill to Reduce School Administration
Rep. Lee Byung-ho, who traded his remaining term as a superintendent for a National Assembly seat, has embarked on legislation to reduce school administration. A member of the People Power Party, he submitted his resignation as Superintendent of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education on March 12, 2024, to run in the 22nd general election. This is cited as a rare instance of a three-term local government head running for office without finishing their term. A little over two years later, that choice has returned as legislative momentum within the Education Committee. With the regular National Assembly session in September approaching, conditions have been met for the reduction of school administrative burdens and the revision of teacher protection bills to become the central axis of educational legislation.
Former Chief Administrator Directly Launches ‘Administrative Reduction’ Bill
According to data from the National Assembly’s open information system, Rep. Lee Byung-ho serves on both the Education Committee and the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts during the 22nd National Assembly. He is focusing his efforts on amending bills to alleviate excessive administrative tasks in schools and protect teachers' educational activities. His experience, having overseen the paperwork and reporting for thousands of schools as a Provincial Superintendent, serves as the foundation for his legislation. Few legislators have first-hand knowledge of which ledgers eat into class time. The paradox of the one who used to commission administration now standing with teachers who receive it to fix the law is the backbone of this initiative.
Education Committee Formation Holds Bills and Budget in One Hand
The composition of the committee is also distinctive. Reps. Kim Sang-kwon, Kim Yoon-chul, Park Young-min, Lee Seung-hyung, Im Hyeong-taek, Park Jung-heon, and Kim Dong-cheol of the Rebuilding Korea Party all hold dual positions on the Education Committee and the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts. They are joined by PPP Reps. Lee Byung-ho and Yoon Tae-ho, as well as Reform Party Rep. Lee Soo-chan. This means the same faces are in charge of finalizing the government’s budget proposal. This is interpreted as a calculation that revising laws without the necessary funding will not bring change to the field. Rep. Yoon Tae-ho’s repeated emphasis on the efficient execution and necessary increase of the education budget is also a move that considers the linkage with budget deliberations. If administrative reduction is solidified by law, the scale of investment in digital administrative infrastructure to replace paper documents will inevitably be decided together during budget negotiations.
Beyond the ‘Five Teacher Rights Bills’ to Revision of Framework Act on Education
The scope of the legislation is widening. Rep. Yoon Tae-ho revealed that he is considering preparing additional bills to guarantee teachers' legitimate educational activities and protect students' right to learn, beyond the revision of the 'Five Teacher Rights Bills.' He is also set to propose a revision to the Framework Act on Education tailored to future societal changes. There is a shifting center of gravity from reducing administration to protecting teacher rights, and further to curriculum innovation. Reports that Rebuilding Korea Party Rep. Jo Dong-uk led the proposal for amendments to child and youth protection laws also intersect at the point of student safety. It is expected that the more the interests of teacher groups and parent groups diverge on an issue, the greater the complications will be during the standing committee review.
The Rocky Path Foretold by Intra-Party Defections in Votes
The journey to passage will not be smooth. Looking at the plenary voting records, on August 20, there was a rupture within the party during the processing of the 'Special Act on Support for Complex Development of School Sites,' with 19 PPP members in favor and 7 opposed. Seven members, including Reps. Kim Eun-hye, Lee Jong-wook, and Park Soo-young, voted against. As the bill involves designating school sites for complex development, the overlapping interests of education with construction and real estate caused differences within the party. This is in the same vein as 15 members defecting from the party line on the Construction Industry Framework Act amendment and 9 on the National Pension Service Act amendment. Two days later, three votes against the Personnel Hearing Act amendment also appeared. This signals that party consensus does not automatically form just because it is an education bill.
Holding onto old ways and fighting against change is not the answer
The broader landscape of the regular National Assembly is also a variable. The Democratic Party of Korea is pushing for the swift processing of livelihood legislation and the budget, while the People Power Party is countering with the 133 legislative tasks across 7 fields revealed by Policy Committee Chairman Im Eon-jok. Since the administrative reduction bill has a weak rationale for political opposition, it seems relatively likely to pass as it can be used as a legislative card by either side. However, the voting record in August already showed that a clear direction does not guarantee a smooth path. It remains to be seen whether the bills by Reps. Lee Byung-ho and Yoon Tae-ho will face inter-party confrontation or internal factional shifts within their own party, with the September session likely to provide the answer first.
