The following is a statement from Idaho Education Association President Sherri Wood on the Senate's passage of Senate Bills 1108 and 1110.
Twenty members of the Idaho Senate today defied Idahoans by voting to advance two of the three bills in Superintendent Tom Luna’s cynical package to overhaul education in Idaho.
Many of the Senators noted in debate that they’ve heard more public opposition to this plan than on any other issue in their careers, yet 20 of them ignored that input and voted to pass the bills.
On behalf of the state’s educators, the Idaho Education Association thanks the 15 senators who stood with the people of Idaho to say no to Senate Bills 1108 and 1110:
Sen. John Andreason (R-Boise), Sen. Diane Bilyeu (D-Pocatello), Sen. Les Bock (D-Boise), Sen. Joyce Broadsword (R-Sagle), Sen. Dean Cameron (R-Rupert), Sen. Tim Corder (R-Mountain Home), Sen. Denton Darrington (R-Declo), Sen. Shawn Keough (R-Sandpoint), Sen. Nicole LeFavour (D-Boise), Sen. Edgar Malepeai (D-Pocatello), Sen. Dan Schmidt (D-Moscow), Sen. Joe Stegner (R-Lewiston), Sen. Michelle Stennett (D-Ketchum), Sen. John Tippets (R-Montpelier), Sen. Elliot Werk (D-Boise).
We hope members of the Idaho House will heed the public’s will on this issue and kill these two bills.
Given the fact that many Idaho communities are running “supplemental” levies over the next few weeks, for now we are urging our members to focus on asking citizens to help their local schools since Idaho’s political leadership does not have the will to meet its Constitutional duty of funding a “uniform and thorough” system of public education.
