SCHOOLS: Teachers prove their worth

Idaho public schools Superintendent Tom Luna isn't bothered that Idaho ranks 50th nationally in per student spending. His spokesperson, Melissa McGrath, said that spending does not always equal results. Her evidence is that Idaho students outperform students from states spending more.

How do our children receive a quality education with less spending than other states? The answer is simple: dedicated, creative, hard working teachers. Who did Mr. Luna, our governor and all of our local legislators punish this year? They punished our dedicated, creative, hard working teachers.

Idaho teachers work with limited resources, still managing to create effective educational environments for our children. Rather than recognize their contribution, or show appreciation, Mr. Luna, the governor and our legislators talked about Idaho's "broken" education system. The "fixes" come at the expense of our teachers, further limiting their ability to meet student needs. Remember, these are the teachers responsible for Idaho students outperforming students from other states.

Who did they reward? A for-profit, online college that's been investigated for fraudulent practices, and now offers K-12 education. This is who our political leaders trust with our children, instead of Idaho's teachers.

Idaho's Superintendent of Public Education, our governor and our local legislators are not looking out for the best interests of our children.

JOE JACOBY

Coeur d'Alene