Unpopular props

COEUR d'ALENE - Early returns showed Idaho voters were rejecting Idaho schools chief Tom Luna's education reform initiatives.

As of 12:45 a.m., with about 61 percent of precincts reporting to the Idaho Secretary of State, all three ballot propositions were failing.

Sen. John Goedde, R-Coeur d'Alene, said he was disappointed with the results.

"So many facts were misrepresented in ads and so much money was spent statewide by out of state interests that I can understand the numbers," Goedde said. "Only time will tell where the Legislature goes from here but the status quo is still not an option."

In Kootenai County, with 15 precincts reporting, Proposition 1, which deals with teacher contracts, had received 13,496 "no" votes (53.87 percent).

Proposition 2, which calls for merit pay for teachers, had received 13,209 "no" votes (52.46 percent) in Kootenai County.

The proposition tied to legislation that calls for laptops for all high school students was faring the worst in Kootenai County, with 15,653 votes rejecting the legislation (62.49 percent). Statewide, the measure was failing hardest as well.

The sweeping changes to K-12 education were announced by Luna, with support from Gov. Butch Otter, in January 2011 at the start of that year's legislative session.

The reform package, dubbed "Students Come First," was broken down into three bills that were passed into legislation during weeks of contentious state House and Senate committee hearings and protests by students and teachers throughout the state.

A Luna spokeswoman, Melissa McGrath, told the Associated Press that Luna would withhold comment until final results are in.