Today, we celebrate a victory for public education.
The message delivered by the people of Idaho was clear: we support our teachers, and we are involved in having a voice about what is best for our students.
We did not succeed by chance. There was a monumental amount of work done by volunteers who helped us fight for what is right in public education. I would like to personally thank you.
To the educators, I want to extend my deeply felt gratitude. Thank you for continuing to reach the minds and hearts of our students in an atmosphere that was demoralizing. We truly value what you do.
The Luna laws were divisive and destructive but there is a positive outcome. We have learned how important it is for all citizens to remain engaged in education. We know what we don’t want, and by contrast, we have learned what we do want.
We want transparency.
We want collaboration.
We want politics kept out of education.
We want the input from our educators.
We want our locally elected school boards to determine what is best for each district.
We want to know that our teachers are valued.
It is now time to start healing and moving forward. Grass roots efforts have already begun this process. There are many challenges and changes ahead for education, such as implementing Common Core. We are turning to leaders in education and leaders in our community who bring with them experience, researched methods, and a desire to collaborate. We are turning to leaders who will put politics aside and come with the clear intention to do what is best for students. That is what this movement has been about.
