Sherri Wood, president of the Idaho Education Association, was the first of the education stakeholders to speak today. "The bill before you today will seriously damage education in Idaho," she told the House Education Committee. "You must think about the true motive Supt. Luna had in bringing these bills. You must think about whether they solve our budget problems or complicate them. And you must think about the majority of Idaho parents, students and educators who have said loud and clear that they oppose these policies and want to see these bills defeated." She called the proposals "nothing short of the most mean-spirited and egregious attacks on teachers that Idaho has ever seen," and said it "clearly signals to them they are not valued."

SB 1108, she said, "threatens to unravel ... decades of collaboration." The plan to eliminate the early retirement incentive program violates an existing property right and will be subject to court challenge, she said. As for SB 1110, the teacher merit pay bill, Wood said it "seems like a cruel joke on teachers" in these times of budget cuts for schools.

Here's a link to Wood's prepared remarks.