Thomas Luna (born 1958)Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2006 debate page
Idaho Public Television
Idaho Public Television (also known as IdahoPTV and Idaho Public TV) is a Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) member network serving the U.S. state of Idaho. Consisting of five television stations, it is operated and funded by the Idaho State ...
is an American politician who served as Idaho superintendent of public instruction from 2006 to 2014. Luna was the chair of
Idaho Republican Party
The Idaho Republican Party (IDGOP) is the Idaho state affiliate of the United States Republican Party, headquartered in Boise. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling both of Idaho's U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, ...
from June 2020 to July 2022.
Early life and education
Luna was born in
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the 13th- ...
. He moved to
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...
to attend
Ricks College
Ricks may refer to:
People
* Andre Ricks (born 1996), American basketball player
* Bob Ricks (21st century), American police chief
* Christopher Ricks (born 1933), British literary critic and scholar
* Doug Ricks, American politician and membe ...
Boise State University
Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a pub ...
, but did not graduate from either.Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna Idaho State Department of Education
Luna was initially prevented from serving as Idaho superintendent of public instruction because he lacked a college degree. To satisfy the requirement, Luna earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from
Thomas Edison State College
Thomas Edison State University (TESU) is a public university in Trenton, New Jersey. The university is one of New Jersey's 11 senior public institutions of higher education. Thomas Edison State University offers degrees at the undergraduate and ...
, a majority-online university based in
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.
Career
Business
Luna is the former owner of Scales Unlimited, an industrial truck scale service company which he started in 1982 and sold in 2010. He was later appointed to be President of The International Society of Weights and Measurement (ISWM) and as a voting member of National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP).
Education
Luna served on the Nampa School Board for seven years, three of those as chairman. As a member of the Nampa School Board, Luna supported
school voucher
A school voucher, also called an education voucher in a voucher system, is a certificate of government funding for students at schools chosen by themselves or their parents. Funding is usually for a particular year, term, or semester. In some cou ...
s and
tax credit
A tax credit is a tax incentive which allows certain taxpayers to subtract the amount of the credit they have accrued from the total they owe the state. It may also be a credit granted in recognition of taxes already paid or a form of state "disc ...
s for
private school
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
s as a means to increase competition in education."Tom Luna's education reform plan was a long time in the making" Dan Popkey, ''
Idaho Statesman
The ''Idaho Statesman'' is the daily newspaper of Boise, Idaho, in the western United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company.
History
The paper was first published as the ''Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman'' on July 26, 1864, by James S. Reynolds ...
'', February 20, 2011
From 2003 to 2005 Luna worked for the
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Departme ...
as an adviser to then-
Secretary of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
,
Rod Paige
Roderick Raynor Paige (born June 17, 1933) served as the 7th United States Secretary of Education from 2001 to 2005. Paige, who grew up in Mississippi, moved from college football coach and classroom teacher to college dean and school superint ...
."Idaho education firestorm sparks attempt at repeal" , Jessie L. Bonner, Associated Press, (reprinted by KBOI-TV), June 8, 2011 He served as executive director for the White House Initiative of Tribal Colleges and Universities and as the director of the US Rural Education Task Force.
Running for the superintendent of public instruction in Idaho in 2006, Luna focused on promoting
charter school
A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...
s. Columnist
William McGurn
William McGurn (born December 4, 1958) is an American political writer. He was the chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush from June 2006 until February 2008, replacing Michael Gerson.
Early life
McGurn was born December 4, 1958, in San ...
stated that he found Luna's business experience and lack of education degree, "refreshing".
In 2006, Luna was elected as Idaho superintendent of public instruction. He was re-elected to a second term in 2010. He was also appointed commissioner of Idaho Achievement Standards Committee and chairman of the Idaho Assessment and Accountability Committee.
The centerpiece of education reforms spearheaded by Luna following his 2006 election as superintendent is a package of legislation known as Students Come First.Students Come First informational website
collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and rights for workers. The i ...
rights of Idaho teachers, an increased annual minimum pay for new teachers by $345, a performance-based merit pay system for teachers, an increased classroom size in grades 4 through 12, a performance-based merit pay system for teachers, the phasing out of tenure and implementation of rolling contracts for teachers and administrators, mandatory online course credit as a high school graduation requirement, and providing
laptop computer
A laptop, laptop computer, or notebook computer is a small, portable personal computer (PC) with a screen and alphanumeric keyboard. Laptops typically have a clam shell form factor with the screen mounted on the inside of the upper li ...
s for all high school teachers and students. "Luna's Students Come First laws head for ballot showdown" Kristin Rodine, ''
Idaho Statesman
The ''Idaho Statesman'' is the daily newspaper of Boise, Idaho, in the western United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company.
History
The paper was first published as the ''Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman'' on July 26, 1864, by James S. Reynolds ...
'', August 26, 2012
While serving as Idaho superintendent, Luna was Named president-elect of Chief State School Officers (2010) and was appointed to the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) to help set policy for the
National Assessment of Educational Progress
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what U.S. students know and can do in various subjects. NAEP is a congressionally mandated project administered by the ...
(NAEP).
Later career
Luna expressed interest in running for
Idaho's 1st congressional district
Idaho's 1st congressional district is one of two congressional districts in the U.S. state of Idaho. It comprises the western portion of the state. The 1st district is currently represented by Russ Fulcher, a Republican Party (United States), Re ...
in 2017. On June 7, 2017, he announced that he would not seek the office or any other for Idaho elections, 2018. Part of his statement read, "At this time, I want to continue to focus on my passion for education versus serving in Congress." Luna also publicly supported Tommy Ahlquist and donated $2,500 to his campaign.
Luna is the Senior Vice President and Chief Government Relations Officer of Project Lead The Way.
Idaho Republican Party
Luna served the
Idaho Republican Party
The Idaho Republican Party (IDGOP) is the Idaho state affiliate of the United States Republican Party, headquartered in Boise. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling both of Idaho's U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, ...
as the financial chair of the executive committee.
Luna ran for chairman of the
Idaho Republican Party
The Idaho Republican Party (IDGOP) is the Idaho state affiliate of the United States Republican Party, headquartered in Boise. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling both of Idaho's U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, ...
in the summer of 2019 to fill the vacancy left by the February 2019 resignation of
Jonathan Parker
Sir Jonathan Frederic Parker (born 8 December 1937) is a retired British Lord Justice of Appeal.
Education
Sir Jonathan was born in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, the son of Sir Edmund Parker (1908–1981) and Elizabeth Mary Butterfield (di ...
. Luna lost to Raul Labrador by a margin of just two votes, 111–109.
In 2020, Luna was again a candidate for chairman of the Idaho Republican Party after Raul Labrador announced that he would not seek re-election and would instead return to his law career. Luna defeated Mark Fuller, the chair of the Bonneville County Republican Central Committee in a 274–262 vote in June 2020. Luna was defeated for reelection in July 2022 by State Representative
Dorothy Moon
Dorothy Moon is an American far-rightDavid Smith'Republican and more Republican': Idaho shifts ever rightward ''The Guardian'' (May 11, 2022): "elections for other offices of state are more competitive between the hard right and harder right. ... ...
, who most recently was the runner up in the May 2022 Primary for Secretary of State.
Luna (while Chair), along with Ada County Republicans Chair Victor Miller, hosted a weekly radio show called ''Red Wave Radio'' since January 2021.
Personal life
Luna and his wife Cindy have six children and thirteen grandchildren. Luna is a
Latter-day Saint
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...