[Vision2020] 72,000 signatures collected on Luna law petitions

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of Idaho Parents and Teachers Together.

------------------------------

72,000 signatures collected on Luna law petitions

I am happy to announce that, this afternoon, we submitted to the secretary
of state’s office far more than enough petition signatures to place
Superintendent Luna’s education plan on the November 2012 ballot.

The people of Idaho will finally have their say on these widely unpopular
laws.

I want to express our deep gratitude to the tens of thousands of Idahoans
who circulated and signed petitions over the past several weeks. This
victory is shared by all of us.

We needed 47,432 verified signatures of registered voters to put each of
the three laws on the ballot. We turned in 72,664 signatures on bill 1108,
73,035 on 1110, and 73,486 on 1184.

We did not just barely make our goal; we surpassed it by more than 50
percent.

We have sent a powerful message: Idaho’s parents and educators will not be
ignored.

By collecting tens of thousands more signatures than we needed, we have
also sent a message to Gov. Otter and Superintendent Luna and those
members of the Legislature who have tried to pass us off as a “vocal
minority.”

That message is this: Respect us.

Stop perpetrating this lie portraying us as some small group of people who
are somehow less entitled to the rights of citizenship than any other
residents of our state.

We are Idahoans. We are parents. We are voters and we come from all
corners of Idaho.

We are Republicans and Democrats and independents and it has never
mattered to us what party we belong to when it comes to our children and
their schools.

As these petitions demonstrate, we are numerous and we are frustrated by
political leaders who have ignored our voices.

By discrediting this effort and demeaning the people behind it, those
leaders show disrespect for all Idahoans and this constitutional process.

We have been united from the outset by the deep belief that the great
needs that our schools have are not met by Mr. Luna’s plan. As parents,
teachers, school board members and administrators from across Idaho have
been saying for months, this plan only makes the situation for our schools
worse.

This plan does not put students first. It only benefits out-of-state
companies that contributed to Mr. Luna’s political campaign and would
pocket taxpayer dollars under his education plan.

We have succeeded in the first step in this process. Our next challenge is
bigger. Between now and the November 2012 election, we will work hard to
inform the voters of Idaho just how damaging to public schools this plan
is. In fact, evidence of that damage is already emerging in school
districts across the state.

Thanks for your support for Idaho's public schools.

Mike Lanza

Chair, Idahoans for Responsible Education Reform

Co-founder, Idaho Parents and Teachers Together

------------------------------

Seeya tomorrow, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Airway Heights, Washington

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
and the Realist adjusts his sails."

- Author Unknown