Idaho state House takes up plan to lay off teachers, cut collective bargaining
Boise, ID, United States (AHN) – The Idaho state House on Tuesday began debate on an education proposal that spurred hundreds of students the previous day to walk out of classes in protest. The legislation requires layoffs, ends teacher tenure, limits collective bargaining and introduces merit pay.
An education panel is holding the first state House hearing on “Students Come First,” a plan from Education Superintendent Tom Luna that would save the state $500 million over the next five years.
Public testimony will be heard during the hearing, which comes after the Idaho Senate approved a majority of the legislation last Friday.
The proposal, dubbed the “Luna plan,” is outlined in state Senate bills 1108, 1110 and 1113.
State senators passed the first two bills on a 20-15 vote despite opposition from both Democrats and Republicans.
SB 1108 removes tenure and limits collective bargaining to wages and benefits, while SB 1110 introduces a pay-for-performance plan that Luna says could give teachers $8,000 in bonuses a year.
The third bill, SB 1113, calls for the layoff of 770 teaching positions but increases class sizes. It invests an unprecedented $53 million in software and equipment for schools, and requires every student to take four of the state minimum 46 credits online before graduating high school.
Protests have been held nearly every day in at least one part of the state, but the latest was a walkout organized solely by high school students on Monday.
About 500 students from Columbia, Nampa, and Skyview high schools joined in the protest, which was monitored by police.
Unions say the Luna’s proposal would obliterate collective bargaining rights and leave proven teachers in danger of “arbitrary firings” that do not require school districts to give a reason for the removal.
The plan “would ban negotiations regarding class sizes, lesson planning, safety, and other issues that help schools work better for everyone,” the Idaho Education Association argues.
Moreover, critics of merit pay have warned against the inaccuracies of linking student test scores to teacher performance.
Some teachers and parents question how the quality of education will improve by increasing class sizes, by providing teens more online access through state-funded laptops “with no consideration of parents’ concerns about whether their teenagers are prepared for that responsibility.”
Unions also cite reports the plan would profit companies that financially supported Luna’s re-election in 2009, including K12 Inc. of Virginia, operator of the Idaho Virtual Academy,
“The plan would reward an extensive network of campaign contributors and corporations,” the IEA says.
Luna argues that his proposal does not curb labor rights but “return[s] authority and flexibility to locally elected school boards.”
According to Luna, the cost-cutting measures would ensure Idaho had “21st century classrooms” and would save $250 million that will be used to raise pay for teachers.
Gov. C.L. Butch Otter, a former teacher, has also assured, “Teachers will be evaluated on their skills and performance, not longevity. Evaluations will be fair and equitable. Student achievement will be measured based on academic growth, not solely on proficiency.”
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