Coeur d'Alene and Lakeland school districts and Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy are among the Idaho public schools first in line to receive laptops promised under education reforms passed into state law a year ago.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna announced today that the schools will be the first to receive 1:1 ratios of laptop devices to students and teachers in the next two years. The first round of deployment of the devices to students will begin in the fall of 2013.

“This is an exciting day for schools all across Idaho,” Luna said, in a prepared statement. “Reaching a one-to-one ratio of students and teachers to laptop devices in every public high school is just one part of the Students Come First laws. Idaho schools now join thousands of schools across the United States in creating 21st century classrooms where learning opportunities are limitless and will provide equal access to the best educational opportunities for every student – no matter where they live.”

Idaho has yet to select the device that will be deployed into high school classrooms statewide. A May 25 deadline for computer vendors to submit bids to the state's Division of Purchasing has been extended until Monday.

Under Luna's reforms, Idaho is also becoming the first state in the nation to require high school students to take at least two credits online to graduate.

The sweeping changes, which also limited collective bargaining talks while introducing teacher merit pay, were approved by state lawmakers in 2011 and targeted by critics, who were successful in getting a repeal initiative on the November ballot.

Teachers who receive laptops this fall may have to return the devices if the referendum succeeds. That's because the technology and merit pay funding would likely be redirected into a rainy day account for public education, Education Department officials have said.

Idaho will begin phasing in the 1:1 initiative for public high schools in Fall 2012 by deploying devices to high school teachers and principals first. They will receive devices along with a year of intensive professional development. The devices will then be deployed to students over the following three years. In Fall 2013, the state will deploy devices to the first round of high schools representing one-third of high school students. The state will continue to deploy devices to high schools over the next two years until a 1:1 ratio is reached in all grades 9-12. All high schools will eventually reach a 1:1 ratio.

“We are thrilled by the selection of Coeur d’Alene High School as it takes its place in the first third of students in the state of Idaho to receive the mobile computing devices,” said Hazel Bauman, Superintendent of the Coeur d’Alene School District. “Our district is eager to get technology into the hands of our students, and we look forward to tracking the achievements of our students as they utilize these devices in the classroom and beyond.”

Dan Nicklay, Principal of Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, said: “We are very grateful and excited to be included in the first third of the deployment of these devices. Our teachers are eager to implement these new tools in their instruction to improve the educational experience for our students. Thanks to the State Department of Education for making this possible!”

Because more than 170 high schools representing 84 percent of Idaho’s high school students wanted to participate in the first round of deployment, the state developed a competitive application process to determine the schools and districts that were most ready to benefit. A committee made up of educators in Idaho and staff at the State Department of Education conducted a “blind” review of the applications throughout May where the reviewers did not know which schools or districts they were rating. The selections were determined by point rankings on the application by region to ensure school districts in every region of the state would participate in the first deployment.

The Associated Press contributed to this staff report.