Boise, ID - Idaho Superintendent of Education Tom Luna was sworn in as president of the Council of Chief State School Officers on Saturday. The group represents top education officials in each state.
Tom Luna has been in the national spotlight a lot of late. He’s encouraged Congress to update the No Child Left Behind Law. That got him photo ops with the President and Secretary of Education, and an invitation to testify before a Senate Committee earlier this month. Now Luna says he’ll have even more national clout.
Tom Luna “It’s time for the federal government to take a back seat and we need to start shifting the responsibility of schools back to states. I think Idaho has demonstrated that we’re not only willing but able to do that.”
Luna wants the nation to adopt changes similar to the ones he pushed for in his Students Come First Laws. Those include new teacher accountability systems and pay for performance. But Luna stresses his new position will also give him more opportunity to lobby for Idaho’s needs.