“Education is not a widgets business,” she said. “It’s a people business.”

In his remarks, Luna countered that the goal isn’t to devalue teachers. The goal, he said, is to put a system in place that rewards and recognizes good teachers and properly deals with the limited cases of ineffective educators.

“The teacher isn’t the problem,” Luna said. “The teacher is the solution, and that’s what these two bills recognize.”

Magic Valley lawmakers who voted for the bill were Rep. Stephen Hartgen and Rep. Sharon Block, both Twin Falls Republicans. Rep. Donna Pence, D-Gooding, voted against the legislation.

Hartgen said the search for a perfect solution shouldn’t overrule the good accomplished in the legislation.

“The perfect is the enemy of the good,” he said.

Pence questioned the value of two-year contracts when teachers can be fired at the start of a school year when enrollment drops, saying that system seems like a contradiction.

Phil Homer, a lobbyist for the Idaho Association of School Administrators, said school districts and teachers would need to move forward if the legislation passes, regardless of opposition to the bills.