From a news release sent today by Idahoans for Responsible Education Reform. The petition was delivered to Secretary of State Ben Ysursa just before noon. (See above.) If you'd like to help with the referendum efforts to repeal the Luna laws, click here.
With Gov. Butch Otter set to sign Senate Bill 1184 into law this morning, parents, educators, and community leaders will file a preliminary petition with the Secretary of State’s office today (Friday, April 8) to overturn the law via Idaho’s referendum process. Organizers will gather in the Idaho Capitol rotunda at 11:30 and deliver the petition to the Secretary of State’s office before noon.
“We have to take this step of pursuing a referendum on these bills because thousands of emails, thousands of people attending rallies across Idaho, and the testimony of parents, school board members, school administrators, and teachers did not matter to Gov. Otter and a majority of the state Legislature,” said Mike Lanza, chair of Idahoans for Responsible Education Reform and co-founder (with Maria Greeley) of Idaho Parents and Teachers Together.
“Our state officials passed Superintendent Luna's reform plan despite being told by parents and the administrators and teachers who will have to implement this poorly designed plan that it will be a financial and educational disaster for Idaho’s schools,” Lanza said. “The referendum process exists under the Idaho Constitution to enable citizens to reject laws enacted by the Legislature when the public believes those laws are flawed. All three pillars of this education plan are badly flawed.”
The Idaho Education Association and parent allies filed initial paperwork on March 18 to start the process of overturning Senate Bills 1108 and 1110. “We encourage other Idaho parents, business leaders, and community volunteers to join us in this campaign,” said Greeley, who is also treasurer of Idahoans for Responsible Education Reform. “We especially seek people to help us gather the 48,000 signatures that we’ll need to get these bills on the ballot for a citizen’s veto next fall.”
Idahoans for Responsible Education Reform plans to have a website and social media live soon.
