Robbing Peter to pay Paul has a price. Strapped school districts are aiming to skirt Idaho’s new school laws, which shift $137 million from salaries and other expenses to technology. The money is diverted over six years, amounting to about 2 percent of state support to Idaho’s 115 school districts.

The tension bubbled Monday and Tuesday during the second meeting of the 39-member Students Come First Technology Task Force appointed by Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna. The task force is to make implementation recommendations to the 2012 Legislature.

The flashpoint is the mandate for online classes, with district leaders moving to protect their funds from online providers.

Jared Jenks of the Sugar-Salem School District in Madison County told the task force subcommittee on online learning implementation that he’s eyeing ways to circumvent the law. “This isn’t official, but it’s a possibility.”

The idea? Jenks calls it “a course in a can” — a contract with Pearson Education for 20 online courses at $25 per student. After paying Sugar-Salem teachers $75, the cost would be $100 — far less than the one-third of ADA (average daily attendance) per course the law shifts to outside providers.

“It would cut out every online provider, and I’m not sure that’s what the state wants to do,” Jenks said, adding that cheap courses would mean less quality.

Brady Moore of Boise Weekly made a good video showing the chain of volunteers that passed boxes of petitions into the Statehouse on June 6, along with some of the speeches made. As a commenter at BoiseWeekly.com wrote, “This is awesome! Power to people, not to personal interest!”

The Idaho Education Association has a video on its YouTube channel and a Flickr slide show, too.

Betsy Russell of the Spokeman-Review covered the event at Eye on Boise, as did Adam Bartelmay on Fox News 12.

According to documents received late Monday by Idahoans for Responsible Education Reform, the total number of verified signatures exceeded even the numbers known last week by organizers. The final totals were 74,024 signatures on Senate Bill 1108, which took away teachers’ ability to have a voice in their jobs; 74,129 on Senate Bill 1110, an unfunded merit-pay plan; and 74,992 on Senate Bill 1184, which trades teachers for mobile computing devices and mandates online classes.

“We’re happy to see these petitions certified, especially against the backdrop of the first meeting of Tom Luna’s technology task force,” said Mike Lanza, chair of Idahoans for Responsible Education Reform. “These meetings – and today’s visit from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush – make it clear that these laws are not about putting students first. Luna’s laws are about turning our public schools into private profit centers for education entrepreneurs – at the expense of taxpayers and our children’s education.”

Lanza noted that Bush’s brother, Neil, runs a for-profit education hardware and software company. Jeb Bush implemented many damaging policies while Florida governor and is now pushing them nationwide, including in Idaho. “Just last weekend, Diane Ravitch – an original architect of No Child Left Behind – called the Florida reforms ‘a disaster,’” Lanza said.  “But here in Idaho, we know what’s really behind this so-called ‘education reform.’ We do not want to trade teachers for computers so that Tom Luna’s campaign financiers can fatten their wallets.”

Organizers needed to collect at least 47,432 verified signatures on each of three petitions to put the three laws to a citizens’ vote, which can only be held during a biennial general election year. The final tally of verified signatures was 72,664 for Senate Bill 1108; 73,035 for Senate Bill 1110; and 73,486 for Senate Bill 1184. For each of the three petitions, organizers obtained at least 53 percent more signatures than necessary.

Ysursa will now review the signatures – which have already been verified by county clerks statewide – and formally qualify the referenda for the November 2012 ballot. But as he told The Spokesman-Review last Wednesday, the numbers are well over what was required and “it’s pretty solid that they’re going to be on.”

“In the nearly two weeks since we passed the original goal, there’s actually been growing interest among people statewide to be sure they were able to sign by the deadline,” said Mike Lanza, chair of Idahoans for Responsible Education Reform. The parent-led committee initiated the petition drives on April 8 and the Idaho Education Association joined the coalition a week later.

Lanza attributed the surge in part to the heavy-handed tactics pursued by Luna as it became clear referenda organizers would make their goal. “Time after time over the past five months, we’ve seen how Tom Luna puts his interests and those of his big-business benefactors ahead of Idaho’s children. Idahoans have seen enough, and we’re eager to vote on these harmful laws next year,” he said.

As the first phase of the campaign ends, the next is just beginning. “We’ve started hearing stories from all over the state about how the new laws and three years of relentless budget cuts are hurting Idaho’s children and killing Idaho jobs,” said IEA President Sherri Wood.

“Idaho educators are grateful for the overwhelming support we’ve seen since these bad ideas were first brought to the Legislature, but we have a long way to go to be sure the majority is finally heard,” Wood said.  “Today represents the first big step to make sure that happens in November 2012.”

Comments from Mike Lanza, Chair, Idahoans for Responsible Education Reform

I am happy to announce that we have just submitted to the secretary of state’s office far more than enough petition signatures to place Superintendent Luna’s education plan on the November 2012 ballot.

The people of Idaho will finally have their say on these widely unpopular laws.

I want to express our deep gratitude to the tens of thousands of Idahoans who circulated and signed petitions over the past several weeks. This victory is shared by all of us.

We needed 47,432 verified signatures of registered voters to put each of the three laws on the ballot. We turned in 219,185total signatures for the three petitions.

We did not just barely make our goal; we surpassed it by more than 50 percent.

We have sent a powerful message: Idaho’s parents and educators will not be ignored.

By collecting tens of thousands more signatures than we needed, we have also sent a message to Gov. Otter and Superintendent Luna and those members of the Legislature who have tried to pass us off as a “vocal minority.”

That message is this: Respect us.

Stop perpetrating this lie portraying us as some small group of people who are somehow less entitled to the rights of citizenship than any other residents of our state.

We are Idahoans. We are parents. We are voters and we come from all corners of Idaho.

We are Republicans and Democrats and independents and it has never mattered to us what party we belong to when it comes to our children and their schools.

As these petitions demonstrate, we are numerous and we are frustrated by political leaders who have ignored our voices.

By discrediting this effort and demeaning the people behind it, those leaders show disrespect for all Idahoans and this constitutional process.

We have been united from the outset by the deep belief that the great needs that our schools have are not met by Mr. Luna’s plan. As parents, teachers, school board members and administrators from across Idaho have been saying for months, this plan only makes the situation for our schools worse.

This plan does not put students first. It only benefits out-of-state companies that contributed to Mr. Luna’s political campaign and would pocket taxpayer dollars under his education plan.

We have succeeded in the first step in this process. Our next challenge is bigger. Between now and the November 2012 election, we will work hard to inform the voters of Idaho just how damaging to public schools and to our children this plan is. In fact, evidence of that damage is already emerging in school districts across the state.

Comments from Sally Mitchell, English teacher, Mountain View High School, Meridian School District

I am Sally Mitchell, and I teach English at Mountain View High School. As soon as I heard about Tom Luna’s plans, I jumped into action. I wrote letters to the editor. I took time off to testify. I attended rallies. I wrote to many, many legislators. And when the laws passed anyway, despite the efforts of many people like me, I volunteered to help with the referendum drive. I went door-to-door and talked with my neighbors. I attended local events to gather signatures. I did this because I’m a teacher, a parent, and a citizen, and there’s much more at stake here than just Mr. Luna’s status among the big-business interests who contributed to his campaign.

Public education is fundamental to a thriving democracy. And teachers are the core of public education. The misguided and mean-spirited attacks on teachers by those in office are inexcusable; standing up for my profession does not make me a “thug”. All the anti-teacher rhetoric in the world cannot change the fact that there is no substitute, pun intended, for our professionalism in the classroom. Our students need us. Society needs us.

This referendum serves as a reminder to those in office that their heavy-handed actions will not go unchecked, that our voices will not be ignored, and that our power as citizens is ultimately greater than theirs. This referendum underscores the truth that the job of those in office is to represent their constituents, not serve their own interests.

You know that old saying “the pen is mightier than the sword”? Even though public education has been violently attacked in our state, we have proven that the pen is, in fact, about 70,000 times mightier. We’ve said loudly and clearly that it’s not change that troubles us. It’s BAD change that troubles us. Meaningful reform would include providing students with more effective instruction and more ownership of their education, not fewer teachers.  Amazing things are already happening in education, and I invite lawmakers into our schools to see for themselves. When naysayers see what our schools are really like, they will find it difficult to paint all schools, and all teachers, with the same brush.

Democracy is futile without active citizens. I thank everyone who helped make this referendum happen; for believing enough in your own power to engage at the grassroots level, and for showing Mr. Luna that the more he uses his position to try to intimidate us, the harder we will work to dismantle his ill-conceived, dishonest and destructive plans for the kids in our state.

Remarks from Rep. Brian Cronin, D- Boise

I don’t think there’s anyone who would disagree that the 2011 legislative session was historic. Today, Idaho continues to make history as its citizens assert our right to hold elected officials accountable and overturn the Luna Plan laws passed earlier this year.

We should never forget that the 2011 legislative session was also historic in that we saw unprecedented engagement and participation in the legislative process. Thousands of people from every corner of the state arrived at the Capitol to make their wishes, needs, and hopes for Idaho’s education system known. I and many of my colleagues warned those who ultimately ended up supporting these ill-conceived bills that by disregarding the widespread concerns and thoughtful input that we received, they were ignoring the will of the people and doing so at their own peril.  After all, our system of government has a way of reminding elected officials who’s boss.

I salute the hundreds of volunteers throughout the state who worked to successfully put the referenda on the ballot. It would have been easy to walk away from the session feeling discouraged and disenfranchised, but opponents stood tall, did not give up on the process, and organized with great success.

And while there’s much to celebrate, we need to remember that this isn’t the end of a campaign but rather the beginning. There’s a lot of hard work ahead. And you can be certain that there will be powerful political and corporate interests with seemingly bottomless war chests that will be trying to convince us that Idahoans don’t know what’s best for our children. Indeed, that’s been a theme throughout this debate—politicians who were too afraid to tell the people what they were really planning to do during campaign season are now telling people that they are ill-equipped to understand or help shape public policy. They remain obstinate in their belief that politicians know more about educational achievement and what our children need than educators, parents, and citizens. It’s top-down government at its worst and such an approach offends our most deeply held values.

In 1912, Idahoans embraced the prevailing Populist and Progressive sentiment of the era by amending the state Constitution to allow citizens to initiate a law or reject a law that had been passed by the Legislature.  At that time, there was widespread dissatisfaction with a government that had come under the control of big-money special interests. Today, we see many parallels. One of the key strategies for breaking the special interest stranglehold on govt. was to create an initiative and referenda process so that citizens’ voices would not be shut out of the process. This trend was particularly pronounced in the American West, where populism ruled the day and most believed that the people should rule those that are elected and not vice versa.

I believe that there is wisdom in the collective public voice and it is our duty to heed such a voice. I and some of my colleagues have opposed the Luna Plan, not because we resist change and improvement but because we resist bad policy. We resist making radical changes to our education system without the input of stakeholders. And we resist what is the continuing erosion of support for an education system that is the lifeblood of our economy. Frankly, it’s unfortunate that it had to come to this but I applaud everyone who’s utilizing the democratic mechanisms at our disposal to stand up for the BEST education system we can provide, not the cheapest.

Remarks from Sherri Wood, President, Idaho Education Association

Today, as we deliver more than 200,000 verified signatures to put the three harmful education laws to a vote, I want to say thank you.

Thank you, Idaho parents, grandparents, and other concerned community members. When Superintendent Luna announced these bills in January, you immediately rallied to the sides of Idaho educators. You testified at the Legislature, you emailed and called lawmakers, and you protested all across Idaho. Many lawmakers from both parties heard you and voted NO on these bills. But when the bills passed anyway, you stepped up again to be sure we will all have a chance to vote on these laws.

Thank you, Idaho educators. You are already seeing the damage these laws are doing to our public schools and the harm our children will suffer under these misguided reforms. Some of you have already been laid off because of endless budget cuts and the unfunded mandates these bills impose. Many of you will be teaching in classrooms crowded with more students over the next few years. Yet you have always put students first. Your passion for your jobs and your love for children is something no mobile computing device can provide.

Idaho, we have 17 months to live with these laws.  Idaho Education Association members are not opposed to change, nor are we afraid of technology. But we know that these laws were not motivated by reason or research, but by a desire to run our schools like a no-growth business with a dead-end bottom line. Well, Idaho is saying no: No to larger class sizes, no to endless budget cuts, no to trading teachers for laptops, no to private profiteering in our public schools, and no to attacks on educators.

Together, we will overturn these laws in 2012 and return our focus to what’s really best for Idaho’s children and Idaho’s future.

Once Luna’s done, stay tuned to hear Mike Lanza of Idahoans for Responsible Education Reform discuss Luna’s plan as well as the campaign to put all three harmful laws to a vote of Idaho citizens next year. Mike will have updated totals on the petition drive and will offer other insights into how the laws and budget cuts are already harming Idaho’s neighborhood schools. Lanza will be on starting shortly after 6 p.m. Mountain.

“We are announcing today that we have passed 47,432 verified signatures for each of the three petitions,” said Mike Lanza, chair of Idahoans for Responsible Education Reform. The parent-led committee initiated the petition drives on April 8 and the Idaho Education Association joined the coalition a week later.

“We’re still collecting signatures because we know that many Idahoans still want to sign the three petitions,” Lanza added. “We know that people don’t want to see the larger class sizes, layoffs and unfunded technology mandates that these laws are already causing.”

“Our members have joined with parents and other working Idahoans to collect these signatures in just 40 days,” said IEA President Sherri Wood. “Unfortunately, we won’t have a chance to vote on the laws until November 2012, but by then, Idahoans will have seen ample evidence on just how damaging these laws are.”

County clerks offices across Idaho continue to verify signatures. Organizers will deliver the petitions to the Secretary of State’s office in Boise and hold a news conference on Monday, June 6. The petitions will not be officially qualified until the Secretary of State’s office reviews them.

Mr Luna,

My name is Christine Jorgens, and I am a parent of three small children in the Lewiston Idaho Public School system.  I have never been a political person and to be honest, have often found the idea of my personal political involvement about as pleasant as chewing my own arm off.  However, when I heard of your “Students Come First” plan, an effort to reform Idaho’s Public Education, I felt as if I had no other choice but to stand up for what I truly believe is a damaging and highly insulting parade of Bills.  I attended the hearings before the Senate Ed. Committee in Boise back in February, and was able to testify on behalf of the amazing teachers that have a dedication to my sons that is second only to me, and my husband.

Since that day, when the overwhelming majority spoke against your proposed bills and still our legislators turned a deaf ear to our very valid concerns, I have become a passionate activist in getting signatures from the thousands of others that are equally concerned about this “reform” with our referendums.

~Can I just say: we are SO not afraid of change… change is needed… It is hard, but it is always necessary.  It is not the change aspect that I so passionately disagree with… It is the specific changes that you have pushed into law.~

All of this, and I have refrained from taking time to e-mail you.  Mostly because I feel you have a specific agenda, and my voice would not make a difference in that plan.

But your most recent e-mail release to our educators and the staff surrounding them, frightening them into thinking that they are doing something wrong,  know people doing something wrong, and can lose their jobs over this is near infuriating to me.  All we want is the ability to put these bills on a ballot, so that the PEOPLE that you say YOU support can have their say as to what they want regarding your Students Come First plan.

The educators that I have worked with on my committee have had the utmost dignity, and upright protocol.   Your Gestapo-Like e-mail, sent as a “Warning” to those who are speaking out against you is immature and unprofessional.  I am even more discouraged in your leadership than I was before.

Please understand that the very people you are attacking are the ones that are dedicating their very lives to supporting the promise of an education to the children throughout this state.  They do this regardless of a child’s race, religion, and home environment.  The teachers that work with these kids often pay for school supplies and books out of their own pockets.  They have washed these children’s clothes, dried their tears, loved them deeply, and given words of encouragement knowing that those positive words may be the only ones they hear that day.  They arrive early, leave late, send parents e-mails and grade papers on weekends.  These people are rule followers, and overachievers.

You have pushed your voice through, disregarding the dignity of these amazing human beings.

This is their turn.  As a mother, it is my turn.  And you may not take our voice away.

Sincerely,

Christine Jorgens

If you downloaded petitions from this site, have them notarized and take them to your county clerk. It’s OK if there are still remaining signature spaces; it’s more important to get the petitions to the county clerk so the signatures get counted in time to meet the deadline. For one-stop help with the petitions, visit your nearest Idaho Education Association office. (See the list below.) IEA staff can notarize your petitions and deliver them to the county clerk on your behalf.

Hundreds of Idahoans have taken part in this landmark effort to put the harmful education laws to a vote of the people. Thank you for all you have done! Take the last step now and turn in your petitions so every name gets counted.

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