Teachers rally against reform proposals

COEUR d'ALENE - Some area teachers and other foes of current Idaho education reform proposals believe it's time to get back to the ABCs of stakeholder input if changes are needed.

Teachers, parents and students voiced their opposition to Idaho public school chief Tom Luna's Students Come First legislation on Monday in downtown Coeur d'Alene during a Presidents Day rally promoted by the Idaho Education Association, the state's teachers union.

"Luna campaigned on the fact that Idaho had outstanding test scores, everyone was doing a great job, then all of a sudden he's elected and the entire system has to be fixed - without any stakeholder input," said Kristi Milan, of Woodland Middle School and the president of the Coeur d'Alene Education Association.

"This rally is to show that we are concerned about the bills and don't believe they are good for public education and our kids."

The rally, attended by about 200 and among several scheduled throughout the state, was in response to Republican-backed, sweeping reform proposals making their way through the Legislature. Employees of multiple North Idaho school districts, including Post Falls, Lakeland and Sandpoint, also attended the event.

They marched from City Hall to the parking lot of the Human Rights Education Institute with signs that included, "How can students come first when teachers come last?" "My grandkids have computers; they need teachers" and "27 second-graders ... wanna try it?"

If enacted, the package of bills will increase class sizes and require high school students to take four online courses. It will eliminate at least 700 teaching positions in Idaho, phase out tenure, remove job security for teachers with seniority and limit collective bargaining by local unions.

"I think teachers should be respected and Luna's plan doesn't respect teachers or students," said Jackson Headley, a third-grader at Ponderosa Elementary in Post Falls.

Lisa Hoffeld, a Mullan Trail Elementary teacher and president of the Post Falls Education Association, said it's time to go back to the drawing board.

"It's time to invest in our future and without teachers I don't know how we can do it," she said.

Supporters of Luna's plan say the measures are needed because existing education polices and practices are no longer financially sustainable.

The Kootenai County Reagan Republicans on Monday endorsed the plan.

KCRR President Jeff Ward called the proposal "the last best hope to improve Idaho public education for all students, under the shadow of the budget shortfalls of the Obama economy."

Ward said the IEA has used strong-arm tactics to try to kill the legislation.

"The teacher unions' stranglehold on education policy has contributed to the decades-long decline of public education in America," Ward said.

Some teachers say that reform is needed to meet the budget crisis, but the overhaul proposed at the state level is not the way to go. Local educators have had their salaries frozen the past two years and have endured cuts to the classroom, so they believe they've bent with the recession and will continue to do so.

"We have stepped to the plate and divvied up the money to do what's best for kids," Milan said. "If they're concerned about the economy, cutting jobs is not the way to make it better."

Matt Barkley, Post Falls High band director, said he, like most residents, doesn't like the idea of raising taxes.

"But if my pay is cut and I can't make my obligations, I have to cut back, generate more income or a combination of the two," Barkley said. "Our state government should think the same way. Right now they are not looking to generate funds."

Cuts without raising taxes were implemented last year and many school districts passed supplemental levies that raised local taxes anyway.

Barkley believes a temporary 1-cent increase to the sales tax has merit. Another option is bringing back the Maintenance and Operations funding to property taxes that was removed in 2006.

Teachers have offered other possibilities, including taxing Internet sales and eliminating the tax exemption for business and professional services.