<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><DIV>Rep. Trail,</DIV>
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<DIV>Thank you for the update. It seems once again that are legislature is presenting a poor plan for education in Idaho. I am opposed to the Luna plan. I think it would make more sense to call it education deform, not reform. </DIV>
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<DIV>What can you tell us about the proposed medicaid cuts?</DIV>
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<DIV>Thanks Again,</DIV>
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<DIV>Donovan Arnold<BR><BR>--- On <B>Sat, 2/26/11, Rep. Tom Trail <I><ttrail@moscow.com></I></B> wrote:<BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><BR>From: Rep. Tom Trail <ttrail@moscow.com><BR>Subject: [Vision2020] Legislative Newsletter 6 - February 20-25, 2011<BR>To: vision2020@moscow.com<BR>Date: Saturday, February 26, 2011, 6:17 AM<BR><BR>
<DIV class=plainMail>LEGISLATIVE NEWSLETTER 6—FEBRUARY 20-25/2011<BR><BR>Constituents:<BR><BR> It has been a chaotic week here in Boise especially on the K-12<BR>education front. To give you an idea of all of the controversy I’<SPAN>ve</SPAN><BR>included an attachment from a local Treasure Valley citizen, Glenn<BR>Dodge, who paid $1,800 for a half page ad in the Statesman. <BR>Commercial companies and the Idaho Association of Commerce and<BR>Industry bought full page ads at $3,600 per ad to support SPI Tom<BR>Luna’s Education Reform Package. IACI also paid out about $25,000<BR>to conduct a phone call campaign throughout the state. For those<BR>of you who are interested in following the major news stories that<BR>dominated this week’s news about Educational Reform, here are some<BR>sites:<BR><BR>APNewsBreak: Store heir mixes foundation, business by John
Miller,<BR>Associated Press <BR><A href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/19/albertsons-heir-made-millions-k12-inc-promotes-it-idaho-schools/" target=_blank>http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2011/feb/19/albertsons-heir-made-millions-k12-inc-promotes-it-idaho-schools/</A><BR><BR>Another informative story regarding the money trail into Tom Luna’s<BR>campaign: <BR><A href="http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/02/20/1535065/a-reform-plan-a-long-time-in-the.htm1#exzz1EZuFLm4H" target=_blank>http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/02/20/1535065/a-reform-plan-a-long-time-in-the.htm1#exzz1EZuFLm4H</A><BR><BR>Stories by Dan <A href="http://us.mc381.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Popkey-dpopkey@idahostatesman.comCopyright" ymailto="mailto:Popkey-dpopkey@idahostatesman.comCopyright">Popkey-dpopkey@idahostatesman.comCopyright</A>: @ 2011 Idaho<BR>Statesman Published: 02/20/11<BR><BR>1. K-12 Education and Education Reform—The
Idaho Senate passed<BR>legislation Thursday to eliminate tenure for new teachers and restrict<BR>collective bargaining while also voting on a separate bill to introduce<BR>merit pay. Both measures passed on 20-15 votes with eight Republicans<BR>joining Democratic ranks. Sponsors of the legislation to limit the IEA<BR>and hand over more power to the locally elected school boards touted the<BR>plan as a way to remove barriers to awarding good teacher and get rid of<BR>less effective teachers. Opponents decried the legislation as mean<BR>spirited. This is a slap in the fact of every teacher in our classrooms<BR>who make our students want to learn,” said Sen. Broadsword, Republican,<BR>from Sagle. The second bill would restrict collective bargaining<BR>agreements to salaries and benefits while also phasing out tenure for new<BR>educators and current teachers who have yet to obtain continuing
contracts<BR>following a probationary period.<BR><BR> The main bill in the education reform plan remains in the Senate<BR>and aims to boost technology in the classroom and require<BR>students to take four online classes to graduate while also<BR>increasing the Beginning teacher pay to $30,000. It is<BR>interesting to note that beginning salary for teachers was<BR>$30,000 four years ago. The bill would also increase class<BR>sizes in grades four through twelve to pay for computers for all<BR>9th graders and for the Pay for Performance Program. The bulk<BR>of educational reforms including the pay for performance plan<BR>approved by the Senate and carries a $38 million price tag in the<BR>first year. The plan would award bonuses for teachers who take<BR>on hard to fill positions or leadership roles. A major criticism<BR>is that no permanent funding source has been
identified for this<BR>plan.<BR><BR> There is major concern that the Third Bill is lifting the 99<BR>percent cap which provides a safety net for school districts with<BR>declining enrollment. The impact is primarily on smaller, rural<BR>school districts that have difficult times recruiting<BR>math and science teachers to teach the added math and science<BR>requirements approved by the State Board. I asked what the<BR>impact on District 6 schools would be if the 99 percent cap was<BR>lifted. The negative impact in District 6 would be: Moscow<BR>-$101,195, Genesee - $117,000, Kendrick - $119,000, and Troy -<BR>$18,000. The entire impact on primarily rural school districts<BR>would be about $4.2 million. I am very much opposed to lifting<BR>the cap because it would widen the gap between the have and have<BR>not school
districts.<BR><BR> The entire school reform effort has been a top down, heavy handed,<BR>state mandated approach which erodes local control. The entire<BR>decision making process was terrible flawed with no participation<BR>of the School Boards Association, PTA, School Administrators,<BR>the State Board of Education (which apparently didn’t have a clue<BR>about Mr. Luna’s proposal according to the Board’s President), or<BR>any of the Idaho Universities and Colleges. Not a word was said<BR>by Mr. Luna during his fall election campaign. The outpouring of<BR>outrage against the plan was to be expected using this approach. <BR>I’ve received over 600 communications concerning the Plan—90<BR>percent opposed. The first two bills to clear the Senatewill be<BR>up for a hearing in the House Education Committee on Tuesday.<BR><BR>2. Good News—Today JFAC
approved the UI College of Agriculture and Life<BR>Science Research and Extension budget with no cuts on a 19-1 vote. This<BR>is a good piece of news for the UI and agriculture in the state. One<BR>has to keep up a sense of humor in all of this legislative process. I<BR>noticed that the House Chaplin occasionally wore a terribly tired looking<BR>orange and blue tie with little ponies on it (BSU). He said that many of<BR>his congregation and also members of the Legislature urged him to get a<BR>Vandal tie. I sent President Nellis a call for help and within three<BR>hours I had a new tie to present our Chaplin. I mentioned that when he<BR>wore it on the House floor it would no doubt give all of the Legislators a<BR>higher plan of spiritual guidance upon which to make crucial decisions<BR>facing the State.<BR><BR>3. Nullification Legislation---The Senate State Affairs
Committee<BR>defeated the House approved Nullification bill late Friday morning after<BR>almost three hours of debate.<BR><BR>4. Freedom of Conscience Legislation—Several legislators including<BR>myself introduced legislation that would protect Senior Citizen’s advance<BR>directives and living wills<BR>Regarding end of life instructions. Two of these pieces of legislation<BR>including mine are still in the Chairman of State Affairs desk drawer. <BR>One attempt was turned down by<BR>The State Affairs Committee. There is another bill that addresses the<BR>issue but AARP doesn’t feel it does the job. We will keep working on it.<BR><BR>5. Taxes—as the Ides of March approach the question of any tax increases<BR>comes to mind. I’ve heard the Speaker say that there will be no tax<BR>increases, and then Rep. Lake, Chair of the House Rev and Tax Committee,<BR>today told me
he will be introducing a tax increase on tobacco products<BR>bill. The increase in taxes would go to fund health related programs. <BR>In any event keep tuned. Bob Huntley, former Democratic candidate for<BR>Governor, reported at a recent meeting that Idaho loses about $50<BR>million/year because of “sweetheart” deals that the Idaho Tax Commission<BR>makes with out-of-state corporations. He also reported that a national<BR>survey noted that the Idaho Tax Commission is one of the most corrupt Tax<BR>Commissions in the U.S.<BR><BR>That’s all for this week. Please send me your comments, observations,<BR>and recommendations. You can contact me at <A href="http://us.mc381.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=ttrail@house.idaho.gov" ymailto="mailto:ttrail@house.idaho.gov">ttrail@house.idaho.gov</A>. My<BR>phone is 208-332-1184.<BR><BR>Rep. Tom
Trail<BR><BR><BR>=======================================================<BR>List services made available by First Step Internet, <BR>serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <BR> <A href="http://www.fsr.net/" target=_blank>http://www.fsr.net</A> <BR> mailto:<A href="http://us.mc381.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Vision2020@moscow.com" ymailto="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">Vision2020@moscow.com</A><BR>=======================================================<BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></td></tr></table><br>