REFORM: That's not the way it is

It is not unusual for politicians to put a different spin on history, but a recent Coeur d’Alene Press article on education reform in Idaho is an attempt to rewrite it completely.

The so-called “Students Come First” legislation, aka “Stack ‘em Deep; Teach ‘em Cheap” was never a collaborative effort with legislators or educators. It was, as far as anyone can tell, written entirely in secret by Mr. Luna perhaps with help from out of state anti-teacher groups and technology hucksters who contributed to Mr. Luna’s re-election campaign. To repeat: NO educators were involved, ever.

That was the State Department of Education’s intent. In fact, written into the legislation is the mandate that local teachers, trustees and administrators are forbidden to talk about education issues and policy in any meaningful manner during negotiations.

So when the Idaho Education Association was asked to provide their suggestions, the response was, “Pull the bills, and we’ll start again, collaboratively.” The truth was and is the legislation is dreadfully harmful to students and offensive to teachers. It is unsalvageable, and educators and parents are fighting to overturn the laws. Then, in a true collaborative effort educators through their professional organization can work together with parents and lawmakers to craft legislation that truly puts students first.

MARTY MEYER

Coeur d’Alene