Betsy Russell reports:  A somewhat subdued Tom Luna, Idaho state superintendent of schools, pledged today to work with stakeholders to bring back only the pieces of his voter-rejected “Students Come First” school reform laws on which all sides can agree. “I think it’s critical that we work together,” Luna said in his first public comments since last Tuesday’s election. Asked about the role of the Idaho Education Association, the state’s teachers union, Luna said, “We’ll sit down and meet with them.”

Asked what he regrets, Luna said, “I regret that I ever used the phrase ‘union thuggery.’” He also said he regretted that the laws that went to the voters in three referenda measures were so complex and far-reaching, and promised simpler, less-comprehensive proposals in the future. Luna said he accepts the voters’ verdict on his reform plan. “The same people that voted down those laws elected me to this position twice,” he said. “I have full confidence in Idahoans in educating themselves and making a decision based on the information gathered. … They had specific issues with specific parts of the law.”

He offered a couple of examples of pieces of the laws that he thought all sides might support: Funding for high school seniors who have completed graduation requirements to take dual-credit college courses; funding for more math and science teachers; and “some sort of pay for performance.” But he said overall, he doesn’t know what parts of the reform plan will win support from all stakeholders. “We’ll hear from the stakeholders, and we’ll identify what we all agree on,” Luna said. “I think the governor will continue to play a lead role.”

Luna said he stayed out of the public eye in the days following the election because he was exhausted and emotionally drained. “I just took a couple of days, just spent time with my grandkids and my family,” he said. “I was just mentally and physically done.”