Idaho suffered a $1 billion decrease in state revenue for K-12 education in 2011, and legislators had to balance a budget and state needs with 1/3 less funding. The need for a more sustainable public school system would be fulfilled by the proposed Students Come First legislation, Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna said.
Jesse Hart | Argonaut
Tom Luna, Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction, spoke about Idaho’s education system on Wednesday in the Student Union Building Silver/Gold room.
“True education reform has to be comprehensive, not just dealing with collective bargaining issues,” Luna said.
Luna spoke to an audience of about 120 University of Idaho students and Moscow community members Wednesday in the Student Union Building Silver/Gold room. He addressed the main concepts behind the Students Come First laws and answered questions from audience members during his presentation, which was organized by the UI College Republicans.
In 2011, Luna said legislators had three options to cope with the state of education in Idaho. They could deny the financial and academic issues of public education, they could be satisfied with the positive graduation and performance statistics of Idaho high school students or they could initiate a reform of the current system.
“We chose to lead, we chose to act,” he said.
The foundation of Students Come First, Luna said, are high academic standards equal to any country in the world and advanced opportunities including the ability for high school students to have earned up to 36 college credits when they graduate. The legislation would also allocate funding for every high school junior to take the SAT, Luna said.
Students Come First is focused toward preparing high school students for college and finding a job in the 21st century, Luna said. Out of every 100 high school students in Idaho, 92 graduate from high school. However, Luna said only 46 percent go on to post-secondary education and 40 percent have to take remedial classes in college.
An emphasis on technology in the classroom through individual laptops gives every student in Idaho access to the highest-level learning environment, regardless of whether they live in a rural or urban school district, Luna said. Online distance learning classes give all school districts access to teachers throughout the state.
“Previously, where a child lived in Idaho determined their opportunities for learning, not their ability,” he said. ” We cannot allow students to have opportunities that others don’t.”
Luna’s proposed legislation would also phase out tenure in favor of two-year teaching contracts. Luna said this would eliminate “last hired, first fired” scenarios and give schools the ability to compensate great teachers.
“The most important factor in the classroom is the teacher,” he said. “We had an education system that made it impossible to financially reward teachers or remove ineffective teachers.”
The pay-for-performance component of Students Comes First allows teachers to earn financial bonuses in three ways, Luna said. The first is through demonstrating leadership such as writing curriculum. Teaching in a “hard to fill” position as determined by each individual school district is also a way to earn a bonus. The final way is through student achievement demonstrated by academic growth, not the number of students who pass a standardized test.
Luna acknowledged the concern that the pay-for-performance method of providing bonuses might incite some teachers to put their own interests above students. However, Luna said he believed most teachers would not manipulate the system to benefit themselves. He cited the New Plymouth school district, which has been using pay-for-performance bonuses for 10 years, as a successful example.
Luna also discussed the need for transparent accountability in public education. Fifty percent of revenue from state taxes goes toward K-12 education, and Students Come First would require every school district to submit an annual fiscal report card. Teacher contracts and other negotiations would be discussed in public meetings so parents, patrons and teachers could attend.
Although Luna’s legislation is controversial, he said time is helping people realize concerns such as laptops replacing teachers in the classroom aren’t true. Proposition 1, 2 and 3 are on the ballot in November for voters to decide if the Students Come First laws should be repealed.
Students Come First will most directly impact K-12 students, but Luna said it is important for college students to be informed because as taxpayers, education majors and parents, the legislation will affect them as well.
“The future of education should matter to everyone, especially young people because the changes could affect us for years to come,” said Alexander Rowson, UI College Republicans vice-president.
Elisa Eiguren can be reached at [email protected]