2012 Legislative Plan

The Idaho Education Association represents the majority of Idaho public school teachers plus many education support personnel, retired educators, and college students who plan education careers. The IEA supports policy decisions that advance the interests of children and public education. Annually, the IEA’s Delegate Assembly determines the Association’s legislative goals for the upcoming legislative session.

The Idaho Education Association’s Legislative Program is structured around six legislative priorities connected to the IEA focus of ensuring excellence in public education.

• Student Achievement
• Professional Development
• School and Community Relations
• New Teacher Support
• Professional Advocacy
• Adequate and Stable Funding

The IEA believes that each of the priorities and the specific legislative goals listed within a priority area is critical to the success of Idaho’s public schools. Consequently, the priorities and details connected to each are not listed in order of importance.  IEA further recognizes that the political environment at any given time is a significant factor in our organization’s ability to introduce and advance specific legislative proposals.

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

In order for students to reach their potential and function successfully as adults in the 21st Century, they must have caring, competent, qualified teachers, rigorous and well-funded programs, modern facilities conducive to learning, and parents or guardians who are partners in their students’ learning. 

The Idaho Education Association will:

• Support legislation to mandate maximum class size ratios and/or student to teacher ratios conducive to optimum student learning and safety.
• Support legislation designed to target assistance for schools in low socio-economic neighborhoods and communities.
• Support legislation to provide for fully funded compulsory full-day kindergarten programs in all school districts.
• Support legislation to provide for voluntary pre-school programs to assure that children are ready to learn when they begin school and have the opportunity to achieve their highest potential. The Association further recognizes some children will require additional resources to be successful.
• Support legislation to provide for improved ongoing technology funding to:
  • Ensure classrooms have up-to-date learning materials, equipment, and supplies;
  • Provide teachers with the necessary skills to prepare and deliver appropriate teaching and learning activities.
• Support legislation to provide necessary resources, including technology and training, to implement state-mandated student assessment systems.
• Support legislation to provide that all governmental services that relate to children will be made available in schools, including, but not limited to medical, dental, and mental health services.
• Support legislation to require home-schooled students to meet all standards set by the State Board of Education. 
• Support legislation to establish before and after school programs that provide a safe structured environment for students every school day.
• Support reduction in state and federal testing requirements to provide increased instructional time.
• Oppose legislation to limit children’s rights to a free, quality, and equal public education.
• Oppose legislation establishing English as Idaho’s official language.
• Oppose any legislative mandate or high stakes testing system that results in the narrowing of curriculum and loss of opportunities for students.
• Oppose any public charter school legislation that transforms public charter schools into entities that are essentially exclusive private or home schools funded with public money.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Continuous professional development is necessary for educators to achieve and maintain the highest standards of student learning and professional practice. Professional development should be based on clearly articulated goals, be designed and directed by the professionals at each site, focus on mastering content knowledge and demonstrating the ability to share that mastery, assist educators in meeting the needs of students, and be incorporated into the teaching day as an essential component of the work schedule.

The Idaho Education Association will:

• Support funding for quality professional development and opportunities for educators to master content knowledge and methods of instruction.
• Support extension of the contract year, with appropriate compensation, to provide time for all school personnel to participate in quality professional development and to collaborate with colleagues.
• Support legislation to ensure appropriate evaluation procedures are developed and utilized for professional growth opportunities.
• Support legislation to provide financial support for educators attempting to obtain national certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards process, as well as additional financial recognition for those who achieve such certification.

SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS

In order for students to reach their maximum potential it requires the involvement of more than teachers, students, and parents. The entire community has a role to play in the education of our children.  Business leaders, policymakers, and patrons who may not have children enrolled in our public schools are vital to the success of Idaho’s children. 

The Idaho Education Association will:

• Support legislation to provide incentives for employers to allow working parents/guardians to volunteer at least one hour per month in their child’s school during the regular school day and to attend parent-teacher conferences.
• Support legislation to provide targeted assistance for schools in low socio-economic neighborhoods and communities.
• Support legislation to provide targeted assistance for schools in culturally diverse neighborhoods and communities.
• To ensure all students meet Idaho’s achievement standards, IEA will work with other education stakeholder groups and law enforcement to develop legislation resulting in stronger enforcement of Idaho’s compulsory attendance laws.

NEW TEACHER SUPPORT

In order to recruit and retain a quality teaching force, ongoing training and support for new teachers is paramount.

The Idaho Education Association will:

• Support legislation to reinstate the Annual Contract Support Program in teacher contract law, including development of quality local plans, as well as training and time for mentors and peer assistants to perform their responsibilities successfully;
• Support legislation to reinstate the provisions of the new teacher support statute, including mentoring, peer assistance, professional development and administrative support.
• Support Legislation to require Association participation in the development of local plans, as well as oversight and approval at the state level.
• Support legislation to establish professional rights and protections for Category 1 and Category 2 teachers.
• Support legislation to establish student loan forgiveness for educators who agree to practice in Idaho public schools.

PROFESSIONAL ADVOCACY

The Idaho Education Association is committed to ensuring passage of legislation that empowers educators and elevates the profession.

The Idaho Education Association will:

• Support legislation to provide for an Education Support Professionals’ collective bargaining law.
• Support legislation to provide for the right of educators to negotiate any area of interest affecting the working conditions of the employee.
• Support a legislative provision for binding arbitration for the resolution of grievances and/or negotiations impasse.
• Support establishment of a Public Employee Relations Board to administer the negotiations law.
• Support a legislative provision to improve statutory job security and fairness provisions for all ESP employees, including but not limited to:
  • Maintenance of current statutory protections from reprisals against an ESP for filing a grievance against a supervisor;
  • A fair dismissal process; and
  • Written employment contracts and annual evaluations for all ESP employees.
• Support legislation to provide authority for every certified employee—and where appropriate, ESP employee —to remove immediately a student from the classroom for inappropriate behavior.
• Support a legislative provision to protect educators against frivolous and/or unsubstantiated charges.
• Support a legislative provision for a fully funded independent Professional Standards Commission.
• Support legislation to provide for full portability of experience of educators.
• Support legislation to reduce tuition costs for certified employees currently under contract or on sabbatical leave or certified employees who have retired within the past five years.
• Support legislation to reduce tuition costs for classified employees who are training to become certified education professionals.
• Support legislation to provide incentives for ethnic minorities to become certified education professionals.
• Support legislation to provide that one or more positions on the State Board of Education be filled by active education practitioners.
• Support legislation to provide that at least one position on the PERSI Board be filled by a public employee representative.
• Support legislation to restrict nepotism in public school supervisory positions.
• Support legislation to create progressive change in campaign reform.
• Support legislation to protect and expand academic freedom for educators and students.
• Support legislation introduced by individuals or other groups during the legislative session which will further the goals and guiding principles of the Association.
• Support the position that the only special qualification beyond the constitutional requirement for the State Superintendent of Public Instruction is that the person holding the office hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and have been or currently be certified/licensed by the State of Idaho in education.

ADEQUATE FUNDING AND COMPENSATION

To achieve our commitment to equal educational opportunity for all students, Idaho’s public education system must be adequately funded; and those who work in our public schools must be appropriately compensated.

The Idaho Education Association will:

• Support legislation to mandate conducting a statewide adequacy study.
• Support annual legislative appropriations to ensure schools receive adequate funding to provide for the personnel, equipment, materials, supplies, and programs that will be needed to educate our students.
• Support legislation to amend the current funding formula in the area of non-certified employees, by providing that all non-certified administrative employees be moved to the administrative category.
• Support legislation to provide necessary funding to ensure all students attend safe and modern schools.
• Support legislation to provide adequate funding for driver education for all students, with additional funding made available for those students identified with special needs and which will not require the use of local school district general fund monies.
• Support any action or legislation to protect and enrich the Endowment Fund.
• Oppose any legislation that would have a negative impact on funding for public education, including unfunded mandates.
• Support legislation that will result in the Idaho teacher’s average salary being equal to the U.S. teacher’s average salary.
• Support legislation to make ESP salaries comparable to those of similar occupations and to ensure these education employees make a living wage.
• Support legislation to provide health insurance benefits for teachers and ESP employees that is equal to, at a minimum, the percent of a full work-week time period.
• Support legislation designed to create systems of equitable salary advancement based on the acquisition of increased skills and professional expertise.
• Support legislation mandating salary allocation dollars not used by school districts be allocated back to the districts to a salary allocation fund in the final fiscal year payment.
• Support legislation to provide for the investment of district salary allocation moneys into interest bearing accounts at the maximum rate available to the district.   Further, at the end of the fiscal year, allow for the interest accrued in this account to be dispersed to the teachers, in a separate check, using the district’s current salary schedule formula and scattergram.
• Support or oppose legislation concerning alternative compensation programs on a case-by-case basis.
• Support PERSI legislation designed to include a benefit formula that computes benefits based on the average salary from the highest 3 consecutive years of service rather than the current 42 months and reduces the actuarial penalty for early retirement.
• Support PERSI legislation designed to improve the minimum Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for retirees.
• Support PERSI legislation to provide for full retirement for any public employee who is at least 55 years of age with 30 years of service or 60 years of age with 25 years of service.
• Support PERSI legislation to provide an option to purchase accrued experience accumulated in other state systems.
• Support legislation to allow all public school employees access to early retirement incentives.
• Support legislation to allow school employees who have retired to use their accrued sick leave to purchase health insurance from the provider of the retiree’s choice.
• Support legislation to allow retirees to use their PERSI health coverage allocation for supplemental health insurance of their choice after becoming eligible for Medicare.
• Oppose any legislation designed to weaken or close the PERSI Defined Benefit plan.
• Support legislation to expand the sales tax base by removing some current exemptions.
• Support legislation to enforce the collection of sales tax for online purchases.
• Support legislation designed to provide a tax structure to adequately fund Idaho’s public schools.
• Oppose all tuition tax credits, education vouchers and similar schemes that effectively siphon money away from public schools.