Testimony: ‘There are lobbyists afoot’

Tony Norris, a small business  owner and father of two from Coeur d’Alene, said he’s concerned about the prospect of larger class sizes in his kids’ schools. “If my 4th grader, who’s 10, came to me and said, ‘I’m going to have a birthday party with 35 of my friends,’ I don’t think even with my wife’s help, I would ever say that’s a good idea,” he told senators.

Kathryn Primrose, a student from Rupert, told the Senate Education Committee that based on her own experience, “Online classes are difficult, even for those who are self-motivated.”

Ben Peressini, who has two kids at Bryan Elementary School in Coeur d’Alene, said his family bought its home in the school’s attendance area specifically to have his kids at a good school - not a fancy one, but a quality one with good teachers. “To undermine the stability of the teachers’ working environment is to undermine the stability of my children’s learning environment,” he said.

Nephi White, a retired teacher from Priest River, said he opposes the Luna reform plan because “it’s too much of a big-business, big-government pan that takes away too much local control.”

Christina Schilling of Boise questioned who benefits from the plan. “I understand that there are lobbyists afoot from computer companies,” she said. She also expressed concern that “things were not made clear during the election process. The cards were placed face-down on the table.”

Meghan Ridley, a special ed teacher from Coeur d’Alene, told the senators, “Right now this proposed reform is more about politics than people.” She said, “The IEA is not a union running amok, rather it is the collective body of educators in this state.” Sen. John Andreason, R-Boise, told her, “In my view, special ed teachers are saints.” Ridley told him that one of her students told her, “‘I’d love a laptop, but I’d rather read 25,000 books than lose my teacher.’ And this is a  kid that struggles with reading.”