Thursday, March 24, 2011
education Idaho Senate Votes 20-15 to Approve Third Luna Bill
Posted by George Prentice on Thu, Mar 24, 2011 at 6:47 PM
As day gave way to night, the Idaho Senate gave Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna his wish: passage of his third and most controversial bill to change the state’s education system.
After nearly five hours of debate, the Idaho Senate voted 20-15 to approve Senate Bill 1184, which would shift money traditionally used for teachers' salaries into funding for technology and a new pay-for-performance plan.
Here’s a sample of this today’s debate:
Republican Sen. John Goedde: “We must adapt or we will become irrelevant.”
Republican Sen. John Tippets: "If Senate Bill 1184 doesn’t pass, school districts don’t get more money."
Democratic Sen. Elliot Werk: “This bill is more disingenuous from the original version. I saw that there was no public testimony allowed on this.” Lieutenant Governor Brad Little cautioned Werk that he couldn’t refer to the committee’s decision not to take testimony.
Republican Sen. Mitch Toryanski: “This bill is the result of compromise, collaboration, a lot of re-writes and a lot of debate.”
Republican Sen. Joyce Broadsword (in opposition) read a letter from a constituent saying: “You’re not buying technology with this bill. You’re buying a third-rate curriculum.”
Republican Sen. James Hammond: “I’m really struggling with this bill.”
Republican Sen. Dean Cameron: “This bill is completely unnecessary.”
Republican Sen. Chuck Winder: “We have agonized over this many, many hours. We brought a bill to you that deserves your support.”
The measure now heads to the House.
Luna’s previous measures, Senate Bills 1108 and 1110, which gutted collective bargaining and introduced a new merit pay plan for Idaho teachers, previously passed the Senate by 20-15 margins.
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Comments (8)
Showing 1-8 of 8
Tom Luna should show Idaho taxpayers that students come first by walking the talk, replace his own staff with laptops and reduce his own salary and the remaining staff's salary.
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About results & measures, not laptops. Welcome to the world of competition and excellence. The education establishment has been owned by the left and is no longer a protected class. Get over it... embrace change. Growing up is hard to do. Excellent teachers have nothing to worry about. They will thrive and reap rewards. Below par teachers should reevaluate their objectives and possibly update their resume. Producers want a Fair but not Equal work environment. Welcome to the real world. The childlike, risk free, provision provided collective never existed and never will.
Great teachers should be excited and relieved. No more "rubber rooms".
5foldflats you are absolutely wrong. Its about smoke and mirrors, showing the public the carrot while beating the teachers with the stick. The objective of these bills is to start the destruction of public schools to be replaced by private schools. Why do you think Luna has been "backed" (more like paid off)by big corporations such as Walmart through this? These bills are nothing more than a precursor to a hostile take over. Teachers will thrive and reap rewards? Only if you call lower wages and retirement and benifits being stripped away a reward. As for merit pay, this system is designed to lower the wages of the majority. These news posts describing these bills are sickening, the authors need to research what the bills actually do and not just report what they are told. There is going to be a whole new mess of problems when the majority of people will either be applying for state assistance or student loans when it will be costing $25,000 annd up a year to send a kid to school all their life.
DRK, Luna is backed by producers (companies) because they are concerned about competing in the market w/ a mediocre educated workforce. Too many kids are graduating high school without marketable skills or prepared to attend college. You are hearing the narrative from those fearing their ability or willingness to change and compete. The big propaganda flag is "corporations are evil". DRK, we are the corporations and the workforce. Those that strive for excellence are relieved.
There's an annoying misconception that teachers and public education are liberal, and legislators and big business are conservative. We live in the second reddest state in the U.S.; how is it possible that all of these liberal, blood-sucking teachers can even exist in these conditions? They would melt. It seems to me that the majority of them are likely conservative, too. Heck, they or their spouses may even own businesses.
I understand how 5foldflats and others who agree with her have come to their conclusions. What I believe she and others don't understand is the likely impact on their children. When their children lose a teacher after a month into the school year and then they are split, reshuffled, and crammed into other classes--supporters may change their minds. When districts have to make painful decisions, and their children no longer have access to physical, art, or music education--supporters may change their minds. When those older children have no opportunity to take trades classes or pre-professional training in high school--supporters may change their minds. When teens get the technology required by law (that will likely duplicate that which already exists), but the State discovers that online textbooks aren't free, Google will be the new textbook. Supporters may change their minds. When all extra-curricular activities are cut because the teachers, especially the ones with experience and education, have been purged--supporters may change their minds. Stop. Replay. When there is no varsity football, people are going to freak out!
5foldflats et al are going to be so disappointed when the emperor steps out into the light and exposes himself. These bills have absolutely nothing to do with putting students first, and "excellence" will not be the result.
It is anti-conservative, anti-Republican, to create laws which mandate unneccessary, potentially harmful, spending in a time of debt and economic hardship. And that's exactly what has happened, times three. Unfortunately, Idaho students are in a terrible pickle--until the supporters change their minds.
When public service worker were allowed collective bargaining rights during the age of Kennedy, even while protected by civil service rules, the "it's about the kids" riff went away. It has not been about the kids, from a governance perspective, since the late 50's. Excellence has been considered a term of judgement and pretty much banned from the equality world of public education. It's changing. The competent are rejoicing.
But, for something somewhat different:
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/26309…
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