NASHVILLE (AP) — A proposal to replace Tennessee teachers' collective bargaining rights with a policy manual is "insulting to teachers" and could create chaos, said the lobbyist for the Tennessee Education Association.

Republican Sen. Jack Johnson of Franklin is the main sponsor of the measure that passed the Senate Education Committee 6-3 on Wednesday and will now go to the Senate floor.

The legislation would require local school boards to develop a "professional employee manual that contains ... procedures for establishing policies relative to the employment and working conditions."

The manual — to be reviewed every three years — would include, but not be limited to, procedures for establishing policies relative to salaries, benefits, leave of absence, student discipline and working conditions.

"This sets up a framework where the board must operate in a certain way," Johnson said.

The proposal differs from the House version that would shield certain areas — like teacher evaluation standards and merit pay — from union bargaining, but not do away with negotiations altogether.

Tennessee Education Association lobbyist Jerry Winters said the new process could be chaotic because school boards would be required to get input from "stakeholders and all kinds of groups."

"School boards are elected to represent the public," he said. "They shouldn't open up their business to allow the general public to make policy decisions for them, and that's what would happen. It really is rather insulting to teachers to take this approach."

Winters said some lawmakers in the House oppose the proposal and the association — which represents about 50,000 teachers across the state — is going to work with them to try to defeat the Senate measure, which seeks to put into law the current practices of the more than 40 school districts that don't negotiate with teachers' unions.

"There are a number of House members, Democrats and Republicans, who do not support repealing teacher professional negotiations," he said. "They see this as just a mean-spirited effort on the part of some and we're going to work with the House very closely."

Wanda Odum, an eighth-grade science teacher in Marshall County, said her county started collective bargaining four years ago and it's been effective.

"It would be nice if we could all sit down and as a big happy family and discuss our issues, and each side be respected," said Odum, who's been teaching almost 40 years. "But that has not been my experience before we had collective bargaining. It is now because the board has to negotiate with us."

Until earlier this month, Gov. Bill Haslam and the House Republican leadership had supported the House version of the legislation. But Republican House Speaker Beth Harwell of Nashville has signaled that she may now be willing to go along with the Senate version.

However, Haslam said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday that he was uncertain about the future of the bill.

"The Senate and the House, while they're driving toward the same end, they're not quite on the same page," he said.

"I don't know politically what's feasible. Can the Senate bill as amended pass in the House? I honestly don't know that."