Voters Will Get A Say On Luna Plan

It's official: Voters will weigh in on Idaho's new education laws next year. On Monday the Idaho Secretary of State's office issued official certificates placing the three referendums on the November 2012 ballot. Last week, a group of parents and teachers who want to overturn the new laws championed by public schools chief Tom Luna handed in more than 74,000 signatures on each of their three petitions to put the education changes to referendum votes next year. The group far exceeded the number of required signatures. The changes signed into law this year limit union bargaining rights, introduce merit pay and shift money from funding for salaries to classroom technology. Some teachers, parents and students have criticized the measures, prompting the referendum effort to repeal them.