Across the state local teachers are reacting to the new collective bargaining changes state lawmakers approved on Thursday.

Barbara Persoon, a Pleasantville High School teacher tells KNIA/KRLS News she thinks a lot of the changes across the state are from lawmakers trying to find different ways to balance the budget. She says K-12 education takes up a lot of the state budget so if lawmakers want to balance the budget, K-12 education is where they would start. Persoon believes a better place to save money would be for Governor Branstad to quit giving away millions of dollars to out of state corporations.

The new collective bargaining agreement bans unions from negotiating with their employers over issues such as health insurance, evaluation procedures, staff reduction and leaves of absence. Unions will still be allowed to negotiate base wages.