[Vision2020] Area Residents Quiz Luna on Schools Reform

[Joe Campbell]

So he has an on-line PhD? What about his BA or BS? Is that on-line?

On Sun, Jan 30, 2011 at 2:21 AM, Sue Hovey <suehovey at moscow.com> wrote:

> Tom Luna has never taught in any classroom and he got his credentials on
> line in order to make the race for Supt of Schools.  He said it was so easy
> he wished he'd done it before then.  The law doesn't require him to have
> taught, it does require he takes school law & finance and have a doctorate
> in something.  That's it.
>
> Sue H
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tom Hansen
> Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 3:25 AM
> To: Moscow Vision 2020
> Subject: [Vision2020] Area Residents Quiz Luna on Schools Reform
>
> A couple questions, V-peeps:
>
> What are Toma Luna's credentials that qualify him to be Idaho's
> Superintendent of Public Instruction?
>
> What school districts has he taught in?
>
> Courtesy of today's (January 27, 2011) Lewiston Tribune.
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------
>
> Area residents quiz Luna on schools reform
>
> CULDESAC - Retired teacher Pat Peek of Viola is concerned about a plan to
> increase class sizes in Idaho's public schools and require kids to take
> more online courses.
>
> "Online is not the answer all of the time," Peek told Tom Luna, the chief
> of Idaho's schools. "There has to be a balance. Students need to interact
> with real teachers in real classrooms. I also think the (proposed)
> increase in classroom sizes could have a detrimental effect on education."
>
> Peek and other residents in the region were able to speak with the state's
> top government officials at the Culdesac Capital for a Day Wednesday.
> Luna, the state superintendent of public instruction, was asked during a
> morning break about his recent plan to overhaul K-12 education.
>
> "A good teacher can handle one or two more students," Luna said in
> response to a question about class sizes. "A poor teacher can't
> effectively teach any number of students."
>
> His proposal for an increased use of technology, performance bonuses for
> effective teachers and administrators, and greater accountability seems to
> be getting mixed reviews.
>
> Luna said parts of the plan, such as phasing out tenure and conducting
> salary negotiations in open meetings, are never going to be popular with
> some groups.
>
> He also believes there is a misconception that every ninth-grader in the
> state will be handed a laptop and neither the student nor computer will
> ever be seen again. "That's not the case at all," he said.
>
> Luna said he wants every student to have a laptop because it can be used
> as a research device, a textbook or a word processor.
>
> "It took 20 years to get the overhead projector out of the bowling alley
> and into the classroom. Education has always been a step behind when it
> comes to technology and I want to change that."
>
> Greg Bailey, superintendent of the Mountain View School District based at
> Grangeville, told the Tribune he doesn't think Luna got enough feedback
> from educators before he went forward with his plan.
>
> "My No. 1 concern is he didn't get input from the people working in the
> trenches," Bailey said. "They weren't allowed at the kitchen table where
> the decisions were made. I am also concerned about the capabilities of
> online courses and taking away opportunities for students to be face to
> face with teachers."
>
> Gov. C.L. (Butch) Otter said he and Luna have three options given the
> present economy. They can continue to cannibalize a system that's already
> anemic, raise taxes to put more money into a system that isn't working, or
> reform the system to one built for the 21st century. They chose the
> latter, he said, but they still have to persuade 105 legislators they're
> right.
>
> Otter bridled at one man's accusation he and his cabinet are continuing to
> get exorbitant salaries and "bonuses" while funding for education and
> health and welfare are being cut.
>
> He's never gotten a bonus while in government, Otter said. He is paid less
> than more than 300 other state employees, most of them in education.
>
> Neither does he get 60 percent of his federal salary for the rest of his
> life for his brief service in Congress, Otter said. Both are rumors.
>
> Elected officials can't turn down raises, but since 2008 he and Luna have
> given those raises to an educational institution of their choice, he said.
>
> Last year, he and the other constitutional officers agreed to take a pay
> cut similar to what other state employees were taking. His pay is down
> about $18,000 this year, Otter said.
>
> Later in the day, Otter presented a Governor's Brightest Stars award to
> West Park Elementary School at Moscow in recognition of the volunteer work
> done by students, staff and families. The school has a culture of
> volunteerism, according to the award.
>
> West Park provides reading buddies, school maintenance and clean-up during
> Saturdays of Service, organizes blood drives, and has done fundraising for
> the Red Cross and Inland Empire Blood Bank. It also has a volunteer corps
> with representatives of all parts of the community.
>
> ----------------
>
> Tom Luna
> (one of his better pictures)
>
> http://www.lmtribune.com/images/7948654.jpg
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------
>
> Seeya round town, Moscow.
>
> Tom Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
>
> "The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
> and the Realist adjusts his sails."
>
> - Unknown
>
>
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