BOISE - Idaho teachers were called to action Friday by one of the nation's top education union leaders who told them to turn imminent budget cuts, the loss of tenure and new restrictions on their collective bargaining rights into motivation for restoring their own political clout.

National Education Association president Dennis Van Roekel challenged Idaho educators to stand up and fight back against the GOP-led Legislature and a slew of education reforms pushed through by public schools chief Tom Luna.

They took a first step Friday, with more than 550 teachers unanimously voting to move forward with a referendum on repealing the reform laws. That vote could be on the 2012 ballot.

Van Roekel, a former math teacher-turned-fiery orator, said that despite setbacks in the just-ended 2011 session, "we are not going away."

"We will advocate for our students, for our members and for middle class America," he said in between applause from the hundreds of education delegates. "You have not demoralized us. You have energized and organized us in a way we have never been before."

Van Roekel's message and the delegates' referendum vote took place during a meeting in Boise as part of the Idaho Education Association's annual assembly.

Action needs to begin at the ground level, he said, with the teachers and educators pushing efforts to bring voters to the ballot box.

Advocates are in for an uphill fight, though, with the referendum aiming to overturn all three of the education laws needing 48,000 signatures by early June. Luna also faces a separate, longshot effort to recall him from office.

Idaho Department of Education spokeswoman Melissa McGrath said the three bills weren't meant as an assault on teachers.

"Nothing in these bills prevents teachers from working with their local teacher association. In fact, many parts of the bill will ask for teacher input," she said. "One bill of the three dealt with labor and employment at the local school district level but that was just one part of the plan. The plan as a whole is focused on students."

While GOP lawmakers claimed the reforms are needed to help balance the state budget and improve unsatisfactory test scores, Van Roekel said the rollbacks of tenure and collective bargaining in Idaho is nothing more than an attack on the middle class.

Teachers nationwide, including those in Wisconsin, Maine, Ohio, and Indiana facing similar reforms, are also on the defensive, he said.

"It is not about money, it is not about balancing the budget in tough economic times and it is sure not about putting students first," Van Roekel said. "What it's about is political payback, it's about silencing the voice of unions and middle class Americans."