Education Reform Defeated in Idaho - East Idaho News
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Education Reform Defeated in Idaho

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BOISE – The votes are officially in across the Gem state and voters have spoken.

Propositions 1, 2 and 3 have been defeated.

At 11:44 a.m. on Wednesday, the last of the precincts were counted. Proposition 1 was defeated by 57.3 percent; Proposition 2 was defeated by 58 percent and Proposition 3 66.7 percent.

The propositions appeared to be more supported throughout rural counties in East Idaho, according to the votes.

Idaho State Superintendent Tom Luna had previously said he felt Proposition 3 would be a tough sell for Idahoans because voters believed it would have caused an increase in property taxes; a myth he said was caused by false advertising.

The Students Come First bills were passed by the legislature in 2011 and signed into law by Gov. Butch Otter. The bills established pay-for-performance for teachers, took away collective bargaining rights for teachers and gave students a chance to complete college courses while still in high school. However, the price tag to rent laptops for students and teachers had many shying away from the bill.

The Idaho Statesman observed more people voted against Proposition 3 (432,730) than voted for Mitt Romney (420,390).

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