BOISE - Of the few political upsets in Idaho's May primary election, perhaps none other has the biggest influence to challenge the state's education reform effort than the loss of the Senate Education Committee chairman.

In a surprising defeat, state Sen. John Goedde, R-Coeur d'Alene, lost his legislative seat in the primary election after serving 14 years in the Idaho State House. A vocal supporter of education reform, including measures such as "Students Come First" and Propositions 1, 2 and 3, Goedde was an active member on the governor's task force.

As the Senate Education Committee chairman, Goedde was one of the few lawmakers to have the authority to determine which bills got a hearing and which bills should be ignored.

That seat is now open along with two others after GOP Sens. Monty Pearce of new Plymouth and Russ Fulcher of Meridian - who ran as a GOP gubernatorial candidate - also failed to win in the primary. Whoever is appointed to fill it will have a critical role in implementing or hindering education reform in Idaho.

Ever since the governor's task force submitted its 20 recommendations last year on how to improve Idaho's education system, political and education leaders have described them as the official road map that must be quickly implemented.

Carrying out the initiatives, however, requires enough support from lawmakers willing to approve and fund such expansive measures.

Committee vice chairman and Idaho Falls Sen. Dean Mortimer said he's interested in stepping into the position. Mortimer has the largest amount of seniority on the committee - typically the best qualification to winning a chairmanship - but it's still unknown who will take over the committee.

Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, is in charge of designating the new chair, but he has yet to give any hints who he has in mind.

Whoever takes the seat will likely face stakeholders who originally accepted the recommendations as concepts but critique the details how best to carry them out, Goedde said. This means that the chairs and other leaders will have to work together in order to move the recommendations from ideas to reality.

"I think we're seeing that now," he said. "My concern is that they don't understand that there will be an unwillingness to put the kind of money the task force has recommended without significant reform."

The political turnover in next year's statehouse will be coupled with another fresh face - a new superintendent of public instruction. Current state schools superintendent Tom Luna announced earlier this year he would not run for a third term, leaving the bulk of implementing the rest of recommendations to the new replacement - either GOP candidate Sherri Ybarra or Democratic candidate Jana Jones.