Rep. Linden Bateman, R-Idaho Falls, said he supported the two earlier school reform bills proposed by state schools Supt. Tom Luna, but he can't support this SB 1184. Bateman said the bill isn't supported by school administrators, teachers, principals, school boards or students. "Ladies and gentlemen, you have to have support from these people if you expect to carry out these measures," he said. "During these difficult times, we should not be mandating the purchase of computers over the next four years - especially since computers are already coming out our ears."

Bateman said opponents of the bill aren't "backward" or opposed to technology - he said it's already here, and schools already have it. He said it's laughable to propose to give each teacher a computer in a year and a half - they already have them, he said. Bateman recalled watching his community's first TV at his grandparents' house in 1954, and how everyone gathered around to see it. Now, he said, TVs are everywhere; and that's what's already happened with computers in schools. "I think the real reason that this is being pushed is the notion that more computers and fewer teachers will lead to a superior kind of learning," he declared. But, he said, "The best teacher I ever had used a piece of chalk." Computers are a "wonderful tool," he said, but he told the House that teaching is not a science - it's an art.

By moving to online classes, Bateman said, "You're going to make it easy for kids to find easy classes to fill course requirements." He said the bill would lead to fewer teachers and more computers, and that wouldn't help learning.