BONNEVILLE CO., Idaho -- Education and teacher pay are in the spotlight once again, as teachers and school administrators react to Tom Luna's latest proposal.

State Superintendent Luna said he'd like to see money that would otherwise go to an education reserve fund be funneled into teacher salaries.

Teachers are still quite skeptical about Luna's proposal. He said it's just one step toward the state showing the appreciation they work hard to earn.

"We'll celebrate when we see it," said Hillcrest High School math teacher Keith Leppert.

He said it's been a rough year for teachers, and he's not sure if Luna's proposal will come true.

"It seems to be a battle. Your state superintendent and educators should be working together to do what's best for kids," said Leppert.

With the long hours and effort he puts into teaching his students, he said it's nice to know a bit of a financial break might be on the way.

"Anything that comes our way in that form is a huge help to us," said Leppert.

On Thursday, Tom Luna announced he wants to shift $29 million toward educator pay instead of the rainy day account proposed by Gov. Butch Otter.

"We can move forward, fully fund all of our reform efforts under Students Come First and keep teacher salaries whole," said Luna.

District 93 Superintendent Chuck Shackett said he's hopeful about Luna's plans.

"I was very pleased to hear the tone of his whole message. It was upbeat and it was talking about increases instead of decreases," said Shackett.

Shackett said the plan before was to take the pay-for-performance out of salary-based apportionment, which is just shifting money from one pot to another.

"To take new monies and bring it in for salaries and to pay for pay-for-performance, that's a good thing. That's something new," said Shackett.

In Luna's budget request, he also asked for more money to go toward student enrollment growth, bonuses for educators and classroom technology.

Nothing is set in stone yet. The proposals must be approved by lawmakers before taking effect.