Idaho Mountain Express: Proposition opponents predict victory

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Proposition opponents predict victory

New survey claims the ‘no’ votes are leading

By TERRY SMITH
Express Staff Writer

Opponents of Propositions 1, 2 and 3, often referred to as the “Luna laws,” are predicting victory in the Nov. 6 election, and on Monday released the results of a survey claiming that the “no” votes are in the lead on all three measures.

In a news release, the opposition group “Vote No on Propositions 1, 2, 3” released the results of a poll conducted by Grove Insight of Portland, Ore. According to the poll, conducted on Oct. 9-11 and involving 500 registered Idaho voters, all three propositions at that time were close to or had surpassed the simple majority of 51 percent to overturn the education reform laws introduced in 2011 by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna and approved that same year by the Legislature.

A vote of “yes” on the propositions would uphold the Luna laws and a vote of “no” would repeal them.

Proposition 1 addresses a Luna law that restricts bargaining rights of teachers unions across the state to salary and benefits only and requires that negotiations be conducted in public. It also removed tenure from the decision-making process in the event of staff reductions.

Proposition 2 addresses a merit pay system so that teachers are paid for performance and not just by years of service and level of education.

Proposition 3 addresses state law to buy computing devices for students throughout the state and required that students in the 2012 high school graduating class complete at least two online courses to graduate.

In its news release, Vote No on Propositions 1, 2, 3 reported that the Grove Insight poll found that “no” votes were leading the “yes” votes by 48 percent to 31 percent on Proposition 1, by 47 percent to 34 percent on Proposition 2 and by 53 percent to 29 percent on Proposition 3.

A story in the Sunday edition of the Idaho Statesman newspaper showed closer results in a survey that it commissioned than reported by Vote No on Propositions 1, 2, 3 in its survey. The Statesman reported in a survey conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research that the “no” votes were leading 42-38 percent on Proposition 1 and by 47-40 percent on Proposition 3, but were trailing by 42-39 percent on Proposition 2.

Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com

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