BOISE -- Hundreds of Boise students have signed a petition opposing Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna's proposal to require online classes. The idea for online classes is just part of his proposed plan to overhaul education in our state, including adding more technology to classrooms.
Luna recently made changes to his idea about online requirements, but students say it's still not good enough. Luna originally wanted to require high school students to take eight classes online to graduate; now he's calling for six online classes to be required.
Student petition opposes online class requirements
Last week, two Timberline High School students started a petition against the online requirements. Although Luna has changed his proposal to have less online classes required, the two Timberline students are still most certainly against it.
They say the classes may not be as difficult and that college admissions offices might not regard them as highly. Also, they worry about not having enough face time with teachers.
At a Joint Finance Appropriations Committee public hearing, some attendees raised similar concerns. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna responded. He says technology needs to be a part of learning in the future, online courses will be challenging and quality will not be sacrificed.
"All of the online courses offered today in Idaho and in the future are taught by Idaho certified teachers. They're classes that the content has been reviewed and verified to be in line with Idaho's achievement standards," Luna said after the JFAC hearing.
So far, they've had petitions returned from three schools. Their goal was to get 700 to 1,000 signatures.
"At this moment, we have over 900 signatures from the various student populations of Timberline, Boise, and East Jr. High as well as a collection of students from other schools," said petition organizer Kelsie Kitz. "We are still expecting more late petitions to be delivered to Timberline on Monday."
The students say they've also gotten support from students in other parts of Idaho through Facebook comments and letters.
"I think that it shows how students are opposed to how the classes are easier and can be less effective than regular school classes," said petition organizer Jilson Schlachter.
Kitz and Schlachter are not sure exactly how they'll present their petition, but they plan to bring it before legislators soon.
Full-page ads support Luna and reform plan
The issue of education reform is a hot topic that is getting a lot of attention. On Sunday, two full-page ads appeared in the Idaho Statesman, supporting education reform.
One ad paid for by Melaleuca said, "It's time to put our kids first, ahead of union bosses." The ad is in support of Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna's proposal that includes merit pay for teachers.
The second ad was paid for by the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation and said, "We must prepare our children for their future, not our past." It too is in support of education reform.