BOISE, Idaho – Idaho’s school board leaders are asking state lawmakers to restore some of the “Students Come First” education reform laws that voters rejected in last November’s election.

Earlier this week, Idaho lawmakers introduced a series of bills that would give school boards greater power in contract negotiations with teacher unions.

The Spokesman-Review reports, “Among other changes, (the bills would) limit all teacher contract provisions to one year; require local teacher unions to prove every year that they have the support of 50 percent plus one of the local teachers before they’re allowed to bargain on their behalf; and repeal a state law that now requires that experienced teachers’ salaries not be reduced from one year to the next.”

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Karen Echeverria, executive director of the Idaho School Boards Association, said ISBA members support the proposed reforms by a three-to-one margin.

“This is about long-term prudent fiscal management for the school district,” Echeverria told the Spokesman-Review.

Some state legislators – mostly Democrats – oppose the new bills because voters rejected similar measures last fall by wide margins.

“It bothers me that this particular bill … was basically on the ballot and our constituents, voters, spoke about this,” said Democratic Rep. Janie Ward-Engelking, according to the Associated Press.

While there is some validity in Ward-Engelking’s concern, it must be noted that Idaho voters also chose the representatives who see the need for these “toned-down” versions of the “Students Come First” reforms. Honoring the voters’ wishes is a two-way street.

Sen. Branden Durst criticized the proposed laws on the grounds that they would contribute to the culture of despair among Idaho’s educators.

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“I’m wondering how this improves teacher morale,” said Durst, a Democrat.

Frankly, teacher happiness should only be a secondary concern to lawmakers. It’s far more important that Idaho’s schools remain financially solvent and that they’re graduating students who are well-prepared for college or the workaday world.

Considering that Republicans have huge majorities in both chambers of the Idaho legislature, the proposed education reforms stand a good chance of passing.