Judith Harold of Pocatello, a retired teacher, said people are misinformed about what teacher tenure means in Idaho, a concern she said was reinforced when she saw a full-page ad in her local newspaper decrying teacher tenure and claiming that even the poorest teachers can't be fired. "This is not the case," she said. "Teachers can be terminated and are terminated." She said teachers have a continuing contract whose continuation is dependent on an annual review. Said Harold, "You can't put students first if you put teachers last."

LaVon Dresen, a teacher from Emmett, told senators, "The process of eliminating an offending teacher works much the same way as it does in the private sector." She said, "If the system is not working, don't blame the teachers - look to the management structure." Dresen said the legislation appears to be more focused on impacting teachers' collective bargaining rights than improving education.

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