House GOP leaders defend Luna plan

The House GOP leadership has issued a two-page statement defending state schools Supt. Tom Luna’s school reform plan, saying, “Times of uncertainty require strong leadership, and plans for change in times of hardship will always meet resistance from those who wish things could stay the same.” Click below to read their full statement.

Statement from House Republican Leadership, 2/16/11

“Students Come First” Means Greater Opportunities for Idaho’s Students

Combining the most successful and forward-looking strategies from other states with the most effective
aspects of Idaho’s educational system, Students Come First brings our students an unprecedented level
of access to learning.

We live in a time of new technological literacy, and technology has revolutionized the way we—and
especially our young people—obtain information, socialize, organize, and communicate. Technology is a vital part of our modern lives, and its role will only continue to grow in the years to come.

Students Come First capitalizes on our students’ facility with modern technology and creates an
opportunity to teach our students how to bend those skills and resources towards learning.

The components of Students Come First are not new ideas; they build on the most successful and
promising programs already in place in the state, and they are the result of collaboration between
taskforces and educational innovators that have worked over the last decade to improve education in
Idaho. The fruits of that labor open an exciting door of opportunity for our students.

For several years, the Idaho Education Network has been working to connect all schools around the
state to reliable, high-speed networks that will allow qualified, certificated Idaho teachers to provide
real-time, interactive instruction to students.

The plan’s online components take a cue from the success of the Idaho Digital Learning Academy, which has, since 2002, pioneered efforts to bring greater options to Idaho students and broaden the scope of their learning. These resources prepare students for the online classes and collaborative online projects they will encounter in college and the modern workplace.

Students Come First breaks down the rural/urban barrier, allowing students from all corners of the state
to benefit from a greater catalog of advanced classes and expert teachers that might not be available
locally. Expanding the depth and breadth of a student’s education, this allows for all students to pursue
the interests and classes that keep them engaged and excited about learning.

Students Come First works to break down other barriers as well. By expanding opportunities for dual-
enrollment and college testing, Supt. Luna’s plan eases a student’s transition to college. This continues a growing tradition of increased opportunities for higher education in Idaho—like the recent opening of a successful new community college—that will better prepare Idaho students for the jobs of the future.

Students Come First has incorporated an unprecedented level of public input, from the historic Joint
Financial Appropriations Committee (JFAC) public hearings—when the plan was just a concept—to ten hours of public hearings on the bills in the Senate.

And the plan has been responsive to that feedback.

Adjusting to public input, the plan has relaxed the language concerning “mobile computing devices,”
giving local districts discretion to choose laptops or another suitable device for their students and
allowing districts to decide what grade-level is appropriate for students to receive them.

It has also reduced the number of required online courses from eight to four, incorporated more flexible timetables for the completion of those credits, opened the door for a blended model that combines online and in-person instruction, provided for digital citizenship standards, and made provisions for alternate routes to graduation for those students who are unable to participate in online courses.

Times of uncertainty require strong leadership, and plans for change in times of hardship will always
meet resistance from those who wish things could stay the same.

Students Come First recognizes that, when it comes to the education of our students, we can no longer
afford to just improvise; we must innovate.

Students Come First is a financially-stable plan that ensures that our educational system and our
students will continue to be not just viable but competitive in this difficult year and for years to come.
By engaging students’ facility with the tools of technology, empowering them with resources, and
inspiring them with options and opportunity, Idaho will ensure that every student in the state has access
to the best that the modern classroom has to offer.

Rep. Lawerence Denney
Speaker of the House

Rep. Mike Moyle
House Majority Leader

Rep. Scott Bedke
Assistant House Majority Leader

Rep. Ken Roberts
House Majority Caucus Chairman