Ray of hope for ed reform

The letter from a Boise resident asks voters statewide to recall Tom Luna and to "make it fun." He proposes playing "Where's Luna?" - much like "Where's Waldo?" - on a recall group's Facebook page.

About the time that letter arrived at The Press, one of the comments posted on a story at cdapress.com about education election complaints appeared. It is more pointed: "Time to oust Luna!!!! Lunatic!"

Education reform in Idaho has been a lightning rod that's attracted reactions from the good natured to the downright angry, bolts from dolts and diligent alike. Sometimes it seems as if rational discussion is impossible.

Until you sit down with Bill Goesling.

Goesling is the newest appointee to the State Board of Education, a volunteer job that he's been on for about a month. In his background there's something for everyone to like.

He's a plainspoken Ph.D. who, just for fun, was recently restudying his grad school calculus notes. A naval aviator, he's served his country in the military, during the Vietnam War and after. He's a systems analyst and manager who cut his negotiating teeth with the Teamsters in Garden City, N.J. That first meeting was the one where somebody from the Teamsters launched a chair through a window. But things did go better from there. With Goesling helping lead the way, later governmental union negotiations ended with everybody happy: Taxpayers saved money and the members of all four unions represented in the talks voluntarily abandoned their unions. They'd found trust and saved themselves $50 every month in union dues.

He's been a public school trustee in Moscow and he's served on the panel that has helped charter schools in Idaho grow and prosper. He's taught high school math and science. He's taught naval science and business courses at the University of Idaho. He's got a smart phone in his pocket and a pile of manure out back on his farm. How can you not like a guy like that?

We do, because we think Bill Goesling and others like him are the best chance our great state has to pull together - yes, for the good of the children.

Goesling isn't keen on the way education reform landed in Idaho or necessarily how it's been communicated - points many in the education community would agree with - but with 42 percent of Idaho high school graduates needing remedial courses upon entering college, and with 24 percent of all third-graders in the state reading below their expected level, he also understands that improvement is needed.

We suspect Bill Goesling is a great teacher. We know he's a superb listener. That's a good start for implementing education reform and making analytical adjustments along the way.