Officials propose school reform

COEUR d'ALENE - Nearly every facet of Idaho's kindergarten-to 12th-grade public education system will be affected by a comprehensive reform package proposed Wednesday by Idaho Superintendent of Instruction Tom Luna and Gov. Butch Otter.

The sweeping overhaul calls for the elimination of tenure for new teachers, pay-for-performance for educators, advanced use of technology in the classroom and access to highly effective teachers for every student in the state.

"There are plenty of things in here that will make life for the bureaucracy and some adults uncomfortable, but if you put students first, which is what we're committed to, then this is the right plan," Luna told The Press by telephone from Boise.

The measure has support from Otter, who recommended Monday that state spending on Idaho K-12 schools remain at nearly the same level for another year. Since 2009, struggling schools in the state have felt the loss of $200 million in state funding, balancing their budgets by furloughing employee days, foregoing textbook purchases, and eliminating jobs, programs and services for students.

Without a comprehensive change in the education system, Luna said there will be more of the same.

A tax hike is the only other way to address the situation, Luna said, but voters made it clear at the polls in November that higher taxes are not what they want.

Under the proposed plan, all new educators will have two-year contracts with raises and bonuses based on student achievement. Teachers with seniority will not be protected from workforce reduction layoffs, and collective bargaining will be limited to salary and wage-related benefits.

"We think that gives the local elected school board more control over the staff and the people that work in their schools," Luna said.

The plan further requires that once agreements between local teachers unions and school boards are reached, they must be published online immediately by school districts. In addition, collective bargaining negotiations for those contracts must take place during open meetings, with parents, teachers and the public able to observe.

The state will publish a fiscal report card for every district showing per-pupil spending, how much of a district's budget is going into the classroom, how much is spent on administration and how each district compares to other districts in the state.

Funding for the reform package aligns with the governor's proposed K-12 public schools budget of $1.2 billion, and includes a multi-year spending strategy using revenue from some cost-saving measures to pay for other programs.

One such measure will increase fourth- to 12th-grade classroom sizes from 18.2 to 19.8 students per teacher, and save $62.8 million in fiscal year 2012.

Luna said research shows that students working with highly effective teachers and principals see significant progress in achievement showing that the size of the classroom is less important than the quality of the teacher.

The proposal has received positive reactions thus far, Luna said, from legislators, school board members, and district superintendents.

Coeur d'Alene Superintendent Hazel Bauman said Luna's plan "is certainly breathtaking."

Many of the aspects of Luna's advanced technology initiatives are already up and running in the Coeur d'Alene district, Bauman said.

She praised sections of the plan, and withheld comment on others until she has time to study the proposal further.

"I have been a passionate champion for recruiting, retaining and training for teachers and principals so that we can have highly effective teachers and administrators for every child," Bauman said. "Moving to a student growth model rather than just a proficiency model is something we have been wanting since the inception of NCLB (the No Child Left Behind Act.)"

At first glance, Bauman said she fears some plan items may have unintended consequences.

"I hope this plan does not further polarize the various constituencies of education, as one thing I know for sure is that ownership and buy-in to any change always makes that change more successful," Bauman said. "I am keenly aware however that sometimes we have to move forward and consensus from everyone may not be possible."

Luna does anticipate resistance to the plan from teachers union leaders whom he said will likely see the measures as a loss of control.

Luna said he has never had issues with local teachers and many local union members.

"The trouble I've always had is with the union bosses, those ones that are here in Boise who haven't been in the classroom for many years, and just seem to be so defensive of the status quo," Luna said. "And also so partisan that if you have the wrong letter after your name, no matter what idea you bring forward, you're not going to have their support."

In a statement issued late Wednesday, the Idaho Education Association, the state's teachers union representing 13,000 educators, took issue with several items detailed in the reform package.

"With its proposed removal of job protection for new teachers, it reduces the ability of administrators, teachers, and parents to plan for the future," the statement said.

The proposal, according to the statement, threatens to "turn technology into more of a substitute than a supplement for face-to-face, hands-on classroom learning."

"Perhaps most concerning of all, the plan was formulated without much input from teachers - the real experts on what works in the classroom," the statement read. "And with its insistence that only wages and benefits can be bargained, it leaves educators out of the loop on partnering to determine other key aspects of their jobs."

The teachers association also criticized the governor, Luna and legislative leaders for not recognizing "the massive tax shift that's been going on in Idaho over the past few years," pointing to a $34.8 million, 44-percent increase in school district supplemental levies statewide since 2007.

"For too many Idahoans, increased parental involvement has mainly meant more local school levy requests and much bigger out-of-pocket costs," the teachers' association wrote. "Parents need to know that while Idaho leaders claim they won't raise taxes, they continue to shift the burden of education costs onto Idaho families."