After defeat, Luna plans to push merit pay in 2013

Public schools chief Tom Luna plans to ask the 2013 Idaho Legislature to adopt another pay-for-performance program for teachers, saying he doesn’t believe voters’ rejection of merit pay last week is any indication they want to return to the old way of compensating educators.

Meeting with reporters Monday, Luna outlined plans to work with stakeholders including the Idaho Education Association teachers union to craft education changes with broader support than his “Students Come First” laws had.

Still, he believes the only way members of the Republican-controlled Legislature will support anything more than nominal increases in teacher salaries is if they are tied to performance measures.

On Nov. 6, voters broadly rejected not only merit-pay provisions of Luna’s overhaul, but also collective-bargaining limits and laptops for high school students.