John Foster, a former executive director of the Idaho Democratic party and former Democratic Congressman Walt Minnick's 2010 campaign manager, said Monday that he has ended his volunteer affiliation with the campaign by GOP Gov. Butch Otter and GOP Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna to preserve their 2011 education reforms. Foster said he told aides to Otter and Luna “about 10 days ago” that he needs to focus on building a new business with his partner, Kate Haas, Minnick’s former chief of staff. Foster and Haas were fired by Seattle-based Strategies 360 on Feb. 3 after Foster attempted to make the campaign a client for the company. Strategies 360 fired the pair in February and sued them. Foster and Haas counter-sued. Their new company is called Kestrel West/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.

• Related: Idaho now taking bids for laptops for every high school student/AP

Question: Is John Foster a man without a cause or party now?

In an editorial in the Lewiston Tribune this morning, opinionator Marty Trillhaase writes that individuals opposed to Superintendent Tom Luna's education reforms already have won the first round. Whether or not referendums against those reforms pass this November, Trillhaase writes that the 2012 Idaho Legislature gave opponents most of what they wanted. “Instead of raiding the teacher salary account to advance LunaTech's aims, lawmakers agreed to steer any additional money they receive each year toward those programs. All of which is fine if the state is in clover. But the guaranteed future flow of state funds into online instruction has been stripped away. When Idaho hits another rough patch, how will lawmakers find money to continue LunaTech? Do they cut something else? Ignore demands from rising Medicaid or prison case loads? Raise taxes? Raid the teacher salary account once again?” More here.

Question: Did Luna “reforms” die quietly while we weren't watching?

For every Idaho teacher who left the profession in 2011, there is a personal, unique backstory behind the decision. The inescapable and unsettling truth is, nearly 1,300 teachers made that decision in 2011. A year earlier, that number was about 700, according to The Associated Press. Let’s just focus on what this means. People on both sides of the divisive issue of school reform should be able to agree on one point: An experienced, talented teaching staff is the cornerstone of a good school. When Idaho teachers leave teaching, in growing numbers, that can’t possibly be a desired outcome. On Wednesday, both sides tried to spin the reasons behind the numbers. That isn’t surprising, but it also isn’t very productive/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman Editorial Board. More here. (SR file photo: A March 2011 protest against Luna education reforms in Post Falls)

Question: Do you think Superintendent Tom Luna's “education reform” was a factor in the mass exodus of teachers from Idaho classrooms in 2011?

On the editorial page of Wednesday’s USA Today, state schools superintendent Tom Luna argued against President Obama’s proposal requiring states to require students to stay in high school until age 18, or until they graduate. USA Today argued in favor of the proposal from Obama’s Jan. 24 State if the Union address. Here’s an excerpt from the USA Today editorial: “The age proposal is no cure-all, but it's a step forward. In 19 states, 16-year-olds are allowed to drop out. That's a vestige from the pre-industrial era, when most Americans lived in rural areas and fewer than 10% of teenagers graduated. In today's global economy, far fewer teens are needed on the farm and far fewer jobs are available for high school graduates, much less for dropouts. Even those lucky enough to get jobs pay dearly in lost wages over a lifetime”/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Should students be forced to stay in high school until they're 18?

Nearly 1,300 Idaho teachers left the profession in 2011, up from about 700 the year before. More than half of the educators who abandoned teaching last year left for “personal reasons,” according to data from the state Department of Education. School districts reported another 96 teachers were fired and 85 were laid off in 2011, which is about the same as the previous year. The remaining 579 educators left to continue their education or because of military and family obligations. Other reasons included death, leave of absences or a spousal transfer. But the number of teachers leaving the profession for person reasons more than doubled to 697 in 2011, up from 314 in 2010, according records that the Idaho Education Association requested from the state's education department/Jessie L. Bonner, AP. More here.

Question: What part or the education reforms pushed by Superintendent Tom Luna, Gov. Butch Otter, and the Idaho Legislature playing in the loss of so many Idaho teachers?

Those supporting repeal of the Luna/Otter Educational “Reform” package in general, and the Idaho Education Association, in particular, might want to take note of comments and attitudes gleaned from a recent sit down with three teachers at St. Maries High School.  The comments not surprisingly reflected a similar earlier sit down with a teacher in the Challis School District. All four said without hesitation they intended to vote to repeal the three items on the ballot in November.  Like many they are offended by the lack of due process alone.  In their eyes it was a betrayal of trust for Governor Otter and State Superintendent Luna to have campaigned for re-election in 2010 and not to have said word one to any involved in education about what they were planning to introduce a scant seven weeks later when the 2011 Legislature convened/Chris Carlson, The Carlson Chronicles. More here.

Question: Have you made up your mind re: how to vote on the anti-Luna referendums this fall?

Today, the Obama administration granted 10 states waivers from portions of the federal No Child Left Behind law. Idaho didn't make the list today — which is something of a surprise, given state school superintendent Tom Luna's criticism of the law. The explanation, however, is simple enough. Idaho still working on its application. The second round of waiver applications is due on Feb. 21/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Any thoughts on the No Child Left Behind law?

State schools superintendent Tom Luna declined comment on a class action suit involving virtual education firm K12 Inc. — which contributed $44,000 to Luna’s re-election bid in 2010. But in a Statesman editorial board meeting this morning, Luna praised K12’s work in Idaho, providing curriculum materials to the online Idaho Virtual Academy and at least two other public school districts, the Bonneville and Minidoka districts. IDVA, an online charter school with approximately 3,000 students, met Idaho’s yardstick for Adequate Yearly Progress — the state’s annual report card on school quality. “That’s how we gauge academic success in Idaho today,” Luna said/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Reaction?

State schools Supt. Tom Luna said there's strong interest in being among the first third of schools to join the new “one-to-one” laptop computer program, in which every high school student would get a computer; his budget request includes $2.5 million for that next year. “Just as it is in every other part of our lives, we recognize that technology is no longer a 'nice-to-have' tool in the classroom. It is an essential tool,” Luna said. He's asked schools and districts to send letters of interest if they want to be in the first third; so far, he's gotten 73 letters representing 139 schools and more than 57,000 students - that's two-thirds of the state's high school students/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

Question: Wouldn't you want a free laptop, too?

Idaho’s controversial new school reform laws gutted teacher associations’ collective bargaining powers, but local union leaders say they can still work effectively with their district administration to help shape policies. “This (legislation) basically said to districts that if you don’t want to work with teachers in these areas, you can say by law you don’t have to do it anymore,” Boise Education Association President Andrew Rath said. “But I think they’ve found that districts want to work with the teachers.” Association leaders Sam Stone of Caldwell and Luke Franklin of Meridian agreed. “We can always talk to our district,” Franklin said. “Our relationship isn’t really ‘us against them’”/Kristin Rodine, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Is the Idaho Education Association still much of a force in Idaho?

Looking ahead to the November 2012 general election, Secretary of State Ben Ysursa said there will be three referenda on the ballot on the “Students Come First” school reform plan. “Folks should remember that a 'yes' vote would be in favor of the legislation that was passed by the Legislature dealing with Students Come First,” Ysursa told JFAC. “If you're against the legislation and do not like it and wish that it be repealed, then the person would cast a 'no' vote. I think it's going to be pretty clear”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise.

• Ysursa: 'Perfect storm' in election year
• Controller: Statewide accounting system could fail without funding boost
• All bill drafters are attorneys except 34-year veteran who is a 'walking encyclopedia'
• Of 34 sessions, Youtz says recent years have been the worst
• Agreement to work on bipartisan ethics bills marks first week

Question: Have you already made up your mind re: how you're going to vote on the referendum against Tom Luna's education reform that will be on the November ballot?

Huckleberries knows how to settle the fight over the radical online education plan forced on Idaho’s schoolchildren by Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna and legislative accomplices last year – and subject to a November referendum. Stage a winner-take-all cage match between Luna and Post Falls instructor Ann Rosenbaum. In one corner, we’d have Luna, a former school board member who got his college degree online. In the other corner, Rosenbaum, a former Marine military police officer who escaped a car bomb in Iraq. New York Times reporter Matt Richtel featured Rosenbaum and two other teachers in an article about the controversy Tuesday. Rosenbaum told the Times: “This technology is being thrown on us. It’s being thrown on parents and thrown on kids”/D.F. Oliveria, Huckleberries, SR. Rest of column here.

Other SR weekend columns:

• The Slice: She'll take PF&J but hold J/Paul Turner
• Hart lawyer says state law trumps feds' lawsuit/Betsy Russell
• Smart Bombs: Marriage isn't working out/Gary Crooks
• Mark Elvis' 77th with rockin' show, King-size sandwich/Doug Clark
• Outdoors: Guide makes case for electronic decoys/Rich Landers

Question: Who would win a cage match featuring Post Falls instructor Ann Rosenbaum and Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna?

Gov. Butch Otter reaffirmed his support today for the “Students Come First” school reforms, which shift funds from salaries to technology boosts and make other changes, including removing many of teachers' collective bargaining rights. “I know they're going to be on the ballot this year, and I'm going to do all I can to make sure that they are still law after the November elections,” he declared. The entire “Students Come First” package is up for a referendum vote in November of 2012 on whether or not to rescind it/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise.

Reaction?

In the New York Times Tuesday, reporter Matt Richtel spotlights the rear-guard action of Idaho teachers against Superintendent Tom Luna's push for online classes. Richtel begins his support by focusing on Post Falls teacher Ann Rosenbaum of Post Falls: “Ann Rosenbaum, a former military police officer in the Marines, does not shrink from a fight, having even survived a close encounter with a car bomb in Iraq. Her latest conflict is quite different: she is now a high school teacher, and she and many of her peers in Idaho are resisting a statewide plan that dictates how computers should be used in classrooms.” You can read the rest here.

Question: What do you make of the ongoing reluctance of Idaho teachers to march lock-step with Luna, Gov. Butch Otter, and the Idaho Legislature in embracing online education?

Organizers of this year’s failed attempt to oust Idaho’s public schools chief from office say their second try to recall Tom Luna will be better organized. The initial attempt to put a recall question on Idaho ballots during an August special election fell woefully short of the mark. The Committee to Recall Tom Luna needed to collect nearly 160,000 verifiable signatures of Idaho voters to get the recall question on the ballot, but organizers said they’d collected only 50,000 signatures by their June deadline. Pete Peterson, campaign manager for the 2012 Luna Recall Committee, said last week that the effort to put the recall question to Idaho voters in November 2012 will be better organized. Peterson said the group is organizing sooner than it did last year, and has learned from a host of mistakes made last year/Eric Larsen, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.

Question: Did you sign a recall petition for Idaho Superintendent Tom Luna earlier this year? Do you plan to sign a petition for the reorganized attempt to recall him?

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna came under fire during the debate over his education reform package because some critics of the plan say he didn’t mention it during his run for re-election just months prior. Luna says he has been talking about reforms for years and that his record shows as much. The Republican superintendent also talked about his plans to fight three referenda that could overturn the laws in his reform packages. Over the course of the hearings dedicated to Luna’s legislation, several critics and detractors expressed dismay that the superintendent didn’t talk about his plan to reshape Idaho’s public school system in his 2010 re-election run/Dustin Hurst, Idaho Reporter. More here.

Question: Can anyone out there recall Superintendent Tom Luna mentioned his radical education reforms prior to the 2010 general election? Anyone?

Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna believes that opponents of having for-profit companies deliver online school courses in Idaho have a mentality not unlike protestors in the Occupy Wall Street movement. Luna also said that those worried about for-profit education companies providing online school courses might be anti-capitalist in nature. The superintendent was interviewed last week by IdahoReporter.com. “This undertone that somehow because for-profit companies are going to want to compete for educations dollars is the end of public education as we know it, that is an Occupy Wall Street argument that we see going on all across the country,” Luna said, “where there’s this attack on capitalism and an attack on profits”/Dustin Hurst, Idaho Reporter. More here.

Question: Is Luna right in comparing opponents of online education in Idaho to online foes? Or is he simply creating a straw man to marginalize opponents in the referendum campaigns next year?

National publications are spotlighting Idaho's roll in the shift to online learning, according to Dan Popkey/Idaho Statesman. In a blog post today, Popkey quotes Lee Fang of The Nation: “From Idaho to Indiana to Florida, recently passed laws will radically reshape the face of education in America, shifting the responsibility of teaching generations of Americans to online education businesses, many of which have poor or nonexistent track records. The rush to privatize education will also turn tens of thousands of students into guinea pigs in a national experiment in virtual learning — a relatively new idea that allows for-profit companies to administer public schools completely online, with no brick-and-mortar classrooms or traditional teachers.” More here. (SR file photo)

Question: In view of Idaho's pellmell rush to expose school children to Superintendent Tom Luna's radical online education plans, I wonder where all those concerned Idahoans went — you know, the ones who identified education as a top priority in survey after survey?

Testifying at a U.S. Senate committee hearing today, state schools superintendent Tom Luna says he backs the bipartisan efforts to reauthorize the federal No Child Left Behind education law. The testimony came months after Luna informed the federal government that Idaho would opt out of some of the provisions in the 10-year-old law. “The current No Child Left Behind law reminds me of the old Clint Eastwood movie, 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.' The good is that it created a standards-based system where schools are accountable for every child. The bad is it is a one-size-fits-all model that is difficult to implement in rural states like Idaho. The ugly is the federal government now sets the goal and prescribes the programs we must use to meet that goal. If those programs don’t work, we are held accountable,” Luna said/Kevin Richert, Statesman. More here.

Question: Are you elated/dismayed that Superintendent Luna is speaking on behalf of Idahoans before Congress re: the No Child Left Behind education law?