State schools Supt. Tom Luna closed his presentation to the House Education Committee this morning, saying, "I know it's difficult and it's not comfortable for everyone in education or outside. Change never is."

The committee then moved on to public testimony. Scott Hale, a Marines veteran of the Gulf War and a 10-year veteran teacher in Meridian, is the first to testify. He said under SB 1108, "My voice is being taken away." He held up a sign, saying, "Silenced By Law."

Dottie Douglas of Boise was next up. A mother of two schoolchildren in Boise schools, she said, "I am not happy with what has been done with these bills. ... Supt. Luna ran for election on unstated premises. He did not present his plan during the election, only after it. ... And then the process has been pushed at lightning speed. There are many things that need to be figured out before this thing proceeds." She said, "The purpose of these bills is to save money by cutting educational funding. The bills do not, I repeat not, put students first. If it did put students first, educators would have been involved from the beginning. Perhaps a compromise might have been reached." Douglas said, "I feel that these bills steal from our children in order to solve our economic problems. So please listen to the ppl. ... We may not have the money or the power but we are the people of this state and we want a strong teacher-based education to prepare our children to be good citizens."