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<h6><a class="quiet top" href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/">Latest from our blogs</a></h6>
<ul class="detail-list"><li>Office Hours: <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/officehours/">Ecolite joins with new Valley company to make high-end infrared heating panels</a></li><li>Huckleberries Online: <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/hbo/">APhoto Of The Day -- 2.24.11</a></li><li>A Matter Of Opinion: <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/opinion/">Ten Years After</a></li><li>Eye On Boise: <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/">Candle-carrying walkers protest bills</a></li><li>Sirens & Gavels: <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/sirens/">Tuna, lost wallet busts robbery suspect</a></li><li>Movies & More: <a href="http://spokane7.com/blogs/moviesandmore/">At least the kids are OK</a></li><li>Outdoors blog: <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/">CANCELLED: Tonight's Backcountry Film Festival at GU</a></li><li>Spokane Valley blog: <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/spokanevalley/">Part of Highway 27
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<h6 class="quiet">Archive</h6>
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<h2 class="quiet top"><a class="quiet" href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/">Eye On Boise</a></h2>
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<h1><a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/candle-carrying-walkers-protest-bills/">Candle-carrying walkers protest bills</a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/candle-carrying-walkers-protest-bills/">Feb. 24, 2011 4:47 p.m.</a> • <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/candle-carrying-walkers-protest-bills/#comments" title="comments">0 comments</a></div>
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<p>
About a hundred people are walking around the Capitol in a vigil,
carrying small candles shielded by paper cups, silently protesting the
Senate's votes today to pass two school-reform bills, including a
measure removing many of Idaho teachers' existing contract rights. The
event is one of 23 hastily scheduled across the state today after the
bills passed this afternoon in an extended Senate debate that stretched
for five hours; you can see the <a href="http://idahoea.org/news/luna-plan-advances">full list here</a>.</p>
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<h1><a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/nonini-schedules-hb-1108-1110-house-ed-hearings-starting-tuesday/">Nonini schedules HB 1108, 1110 for House Ed hearings starting Tuesday</a></h1>
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Posted by <strong>Betsy</strong>
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<a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/nonini-schedules-hb-1108-1110-house-ed-hearings-starting-tuesday/">Feb. 24, 2011 4:25 p.m.</a> • <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/nonini-schedules-hb-1108-1110-house-ed-hearings-starting-tuesday/#comments" title="comments">0 comments</a></div>
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<p>
House Education Chairman Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, said just now,
“After visiting with leadership, we have decided to hold the hearings
beginning next Tuesday morning.” The two school reform bills that
already have passed the Senate - SB 1108 and SB 1110 - will be
considered by the House Education Committee starting at 8 a.m. on
Tuesday, Nonini said; he's already reserved the Capitol Auditorium, the
Statehouse's largest hearing room, for three days, though he said he
hopes it won't take that full time. The hearings will run from 8-11 a.m.<br>
<br>
Nonini said he initially thought he should wait until all three bills
arrived, but with the third undergoing a rework in the Senate Education
Committee, he said that “could be a week or more.” Said Nonini, “We
just thought we should get the two bills we have moving.”</p>
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<h1><a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/candlelight-vigils-set-across-state/">Candlelight vigils set across state</a></h1>
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Posted by <strong>Betsy</strong>
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<a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/candlelight-vigils-set-across-state/">Feb. 24, 2011 3:47 p.m.</a> • <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/candlelight-vigils-set-across-state/#comments" title="comments">0 comments</a></div>
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<p>
Twenty-three candlelight vigils will be held around the state today in
response to the Senate's passage of the first two bills in state schools
Supt. Tom Luna's school reform plan, the Idaho Education Association
announced, starting with one on the sidewalks ringing the state Capitol
at 5 p.m. You can see the full <a href="http://idahoea.org/news/luna-plan-advances">list of vigils here</a>.
IEA President Sherri Wood said in a statement, “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.” You can read her <a href="http://idahoea.org/hotline/articles/iea-statement-on-passage-of-s-1108-1110">full statement here</a>.</p>
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<h1><a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/goedde-senate-ed-likely-start-discussing-changes-sb-1113-mon-or-tues/">Goedde: Senate Ed likely to start discussing changes to SB 1113 Monday or Tuesday</a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/goedde-senate-ed-likely-start-discussing-changes-sb-1113-mon-or-tues/">Feb. 24, 2011 3:10 p.m.</a> • <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/goedde-senate-ed-likely-start-discussing-changes-sb-1113-mon-or-tues/#comments" title="comments">0 comments</a></div>
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<p>
Senate Education Chairman John Goedde, R-Coeur d'Alene, asked what's
next on the third, and biggest, piece of the school reform plan, said,
“We've had individual committee members working on parts of it. We will
schedule it for discussion Monday or Tuesday.” At that point, he said,
the committee will “see … where there might be some opportunities to
make changes.” Most likely, Goedde said, SB 1113 will be held in
committee and a new, revised bill introduced.<br>
<br>
SB 1113 is the centerpiece of state schools Supt. Tom Luna's reform
plan; it calls for increasing class sizes in grades 4-12 and cutting 770
teaching jobs in the next two years, to save millions that then would
be funneled into technology upgrades, a laptop computer for every high
school student, online courses, teacher performance pay, and more. That
measure was pulled back to the Senate Education Committee yesterday,
amid concerns in the Senate about raising school class sizes. The other
two pieces of the plan, SB 1108, reducing Idaho teachers' contract
rights, and SB 1110, setting up the performance-pay plan, both passed
the Senate today on identical 20-15 votes.</p>
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<h1><a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/senate-dems/">Senate Dems: ‘Mean-spirited plan’</a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/senate-dems/">Feb. 24, 2011 3 p.m.</a> • <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/senate-dems/#comments" title="comments">3 comments</a></div>
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<div class="blogpost">
<p>
Senate Democrats have issued a statement calling today “a sad day for
educators,” after the Senate's two 20-15 votes in favor of the first two
school reform bills; you can read their <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://media.spokesman.com/documents/2011/02/Afternoon.pdf">full statement here</a>.</span>
Senate Minority Leader Edgar Malepeai, D-Pocatello, said, “It saddens
me that my colleages in the Senate would pass these laws knowing full
well the extent to which our citizens are offended by Tom Luna's
mean-spirited plan.” Malepeai also discusses in the statement the Senate
Democrats' reasons for forcing the bills to be read in full before they
were voted on, a move they hadn't made since the special session in
2006 on eliminating the school property tax levy. “We requested the
bills be read at length because we believe that this legislation is
being rushed through the Legislature and we had deep concerns that many
of our fellow senators intended to vote yes but had yet to read the
bills in their entirety,” he said.</p>
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<h1><a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/luna-great-day/">Luna: ‘A great day’</a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/luna-great-day/">Feb. 24, 2011 2:56 p.m.</a> • <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/luna-great-day/#comments" title="comments">0 comments</a></div>
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<p>
State schools Supt. Tom Luna had this statement in response to today's
Senate passage of two of this three reform bills: “This is a great day
for Idaho and its children. With these two bills, we have reformed the
way we pay teachers, and we have reformed the way school districts can
operate by returning authority and flexibility to locally elected school
boards. Next, we must reform Idaho's classrooms so all students learn
in a 21st century classroom and are prepared to succeed in the world
that awaits them.”<br>
<br>
Luna told Eye on Boise, “I'm very proud of the governor, I'm very proud
of our elected officials and their willingness to make some tough
choices and reform our system. … We still have a few steps to go.”</p>
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<h1><a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/sb-1110-passes-senate-same-20-15-vote/">SB 1110 passes Senate on same 20-15 vote</a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/sb-1110-passes-senate-same-20-15-vote/">Feb. 24, 2011 1:57 p.m.</a> • <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/sb-1110-passes-senate-same-20-15-vote/#comments" title="comments">1 comment</a></div>
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<p>
SB 1110, the teacher performance pay bill, has passed the Senate on a
20-15 vote - the same vote as the previous bill, SB 1108 on teacher
contracts.<br> </p>
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<h1><a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/darrington-measure-success-teacher-not-moment/">Darrington: ‘Measure of success of teacher is not at the moment’</a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/darrington-measure-success-teacher-not-moment/">Feb. 24, 2011 1:52 p.m.</a> • <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/darrington-measure-success-teacher-not-moment/#comments" title="comments">1 comment</a></div>
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<p>
Sen. Denton Darrington, R-Declo, a longtime 8th grade teacher, recalled
having students come up to him years later and tell him what they
learned from him. He told the Senate, “The greatest measure of the
success of a teacher is not at the moment, it's down the road. … And you
can't measure that, you can't … but it's significant.”<br> </p>
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<h1><a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/debate-just-creates-more-frustration-definitely-better-way/">Debate: ‘Just creates more frustration,’ ‘definitely a better way’ </a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/debate-just-creates-more-frustration-definitely-better-way/">Feb. 24, 2011 1:41 p.m.</a> • <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/debate-just-creates-more-frustration-definitely-better-way/#comments" title="comments">0 comments</a></div>
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<p>
Sen. Edgar Malepeai, D-Pocatello, told the Senate of teaching troubled
and disadvantaged children. It's a challenge, he said, to help those
youngsters in cases where their parents aren't involved. “Ladies and
gentlemen, this bill doesn't figure it out,” he said of SB 1110, the
teacher performance-pay bill. “It just creates more frustration.”<br>
<br>
Sen. Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, said, “I had a lot of good teachers growing
up. I didn't grow up as well as they hoped. I've heard from some in the
last two weeks.” He said, “There's no completely fair system, folks.
There's no completely fair system. The system we have right now is as
unfair as any system I can think of. This may not be the best way, but
it's definitely a better way.”</p>
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<h1><a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/pearce-do-it-kids/">Pearce: ‘Do it for the kids’</a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/pearce-do-it-kids/">Feb. 24, 2011 1:33 p.m.</a> • <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/pearce-do-it-kids/#comments" title="comments">1 comment</a></div>
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<p>
Sen. Monty Pearce, R-New Plymouth, debating in favor of SB 1110, the
teacher performance pay bill, said, “Today I think is one of the most
exciting days in Idaho history, where we've had the nerve and the
internal fortitude to stand up and say it's time to do it right, it's
time to make a change.” He said, “I hope we have the wisdom … to stand
up and really do it for the kids.”</p>
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<h1><a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/debate-merit-pay-bill-not-ready-not-funded-teachers-finally-rewarded/">Debate on merit-pay bill: ‘Not ready, not funded,’ ‘teachers finally rewarded’</a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/debate-merit-pay-bill-not-ready-not-funded-teachers-finally-rewarded/">Feb. 24, 2011 1:27 p.m.</a> • <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/debate-merit-pay-bill-not-ready-not-funded-teachers-finally-rewarded/#comments" title="comments">1 comment</a></div>
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<p>
In the debate on SB 1110, the teacher performance-pay bill, Sen. Nicole
LeFavour, D-Boise, said, “I believe this bill is not ready and it
certainly is not funded.” Passing it without a funding source, she said,
threatens to compete with existing school funding for already-strapped
school districts.<br>
<br>
The bill is part of a three-bill package proposed by state schools
Supt. Tom Luna; its funding would come from raising class sizes in
grades 4-12, but that bill has been sent back to the Senate Education
Committee for a rework.<br>
<br>
Sen. Jim Hammond, R-Coeur d'Alene, debating in favor of the bill, said,
“It's important that those folks who are willing to put in their time
to create a new curriculum, or those folks who are willing to mentor new
teachers, or those folks that are willing … to provide leadership, are
rewarded. That's really what we're talking about here.” He said it will
let teachers “be able to have more control over their wages.”<br>
<br>
Sen. Melinda Smyser, R-Parma, said, “It's just like a business. If I'm
not doing the job, I'm going to be fired. … With this bill, teachers
will finally be rewarded.”</p>
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<h1><a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/teacher-performance-pay-debate-goedde-says-theres-no-funding-source/">Teacher performance-pay debate: Goedde says there’s ‘no funding source’</a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/teacher-performance-pay-debate-goedde-says-theres-no-funding-source/">Feb. 24, 2011 1:04 p.m.</a> • <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/teacher-performance-pay-debate-goedde-says-theres-no-funding-source/#comments" title="comments">0 comments</a></div>
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<p>
Sen. John Goedde, opening debate on SB 1110, the teacher performance
pay bill, said it will reward teachers with bonuses for outstanding
work, and let districts pay more to those in hard-to-fill positions.
“Senators, we have an educator pay scale that's built in the 19th
century,” Goedde said. “It doesn't work, it doesn't recognize
excellence.”<br>
<br>
Sen. Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, said, “I'm having a hard time
understanding how we're actually funding this. Where does the money
actually come from?”<br>
<br>
Goedde said the cost would be $38 million starting in fiscal year 2013,
and “there is no funding source attached to this.” In subsequent years,
according to the bill, it would cost $51.3 million a year.</p>
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<h1><a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/how-they-voted/">How they voted…</a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/how-they-voted/">Feb. 24, 2011 12:47 p.m.</a> • <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/24/how-they-voted/#comments" title="comments">0 comments</a></div>
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<p>
Here's the Senate vote breakdown on SB 1108, the teacher contracts bill:<br>
<br>
<strong>Voting in favor:</strong> Sens. Bair, Brackett, Davis, Fulcher,
Goedde, Hammond, Heider, Hill, Lodge, McGee, McKague, McKenzie,
Mortimer, Nuxoll, Pearce, Siddoway, Smyser, Toryanski, Vick, and Winder.<br>
<br>
<strong>Voting against:</strong> Sens. Andreason, Bilyeu, Bock,
Broadsword, Cameron, Corder, Darrington, Keough, LeFavour, Malepeai,
Schmidt, Stegner, Stennett, Tippetts, and Werk.</p>
</div><br><div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br><div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><hr size="1"><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">From:</span></b> Sam Scripter <MoscowSam@charter.net><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> Tom Hansen <thansen@moscow.com><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cc:</span></b> Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020@moscow.com><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Thu, February 24, 2011 12:48:27 PM<br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Re: [Vision2020] Senate Bill 1108 (The Vote)<br></font><br>
<font face="Comic Sans MS">20 Ayes plus 15 Nays = 35 "Votes" . . .<br>
<br>
How many State Senators do we have?<br>
<br>
How many got to vote?????<br>
<br>
Seriously, I ask . . .<br>
<br>
Sam, I am . . .<br>
</font><br>
Tom Hansen wrote:
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre>Senate Bill 1108 passes the Idaho State Senate.<br><br>20 Ayes<br>15 Nayes<br><br>-------------------------------<br><br>Penni Cyr (a teacher in Moscow School District) announces:<br><br>A candle light vigil will be held at Friendship Square tonight at 6:00<br>p.m. this evening to send our clear disappoint in the vote and to gather<br>our supporters together. Everyone is strongly encouraged to attend. We<br>are inviting the community as well, through Vision 20/20 and through other<br>contacts. Lewiston will be holding a candle vigil in Locomotive Park at<br>6:00 p.m. tonight as well. Others neighboring school districts will be<br>invited to attend one of these vigils.<br><br>---------------------------------------------------------<br><br>It is definitely a sad day in Idaho.<br><br>My condolences, Moscow.<br><br>Tom Hansen<br>Moscow, Idaho<br><br>"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change<br>and the Realist
adjusts his sails."<br><br>- Unknown<br><br><br>=======================================================<br> List services made available by First Step Internet, <br> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <br><span> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fsr.net">http://www.fsr.net</a> </span><br> <a rel="nofollow" class="moz-txt-link-freetext" ymailto="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com" target="_blank" href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com</a>
=======================================================
</pre>
</blockquote>
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