Where would the $500 million go? And how does it fit into the big picture of Boise State’s budget?

This week, Kevin Richert interviews Boise State President Marlene Tromp; Matthew Ewing, Boise State’s vice president for university advancement; and Jeremiah Shinn, Boise State’s vice president for student affairs and enrollment management.

Kevin also asks Tromp about a recent BoiseDev article that raises new questions about Boise State’s approach to public records.

Kevin Richert caught up with three trustees — Nancy Gregory of Boise, Jason Knopp of Melba and Starr Olsen of Dietrich — to talk about the elections, the upcoming legislative session and the role of the trustee.

The former fourth-grade teacher says the political climate, public distrust, and closed-mindedness drove her away.

In this episode, she tells us more about her decision to leave the state and a profession she loved.

School board elections from West Ada to West Bonner.

An early start to the 2024 legislative elections — further revealing the split within the Idaho Republican Party.

And, because you can’t not mention it, Capitol Hill.

This week, Boise State University political science professor Stephanie Witt joins Kevin Richert to talk about it all.

And what’s the financial risk?

In this edition of the Kevin Richert Podcast, Phoenix President Chris Lynne and provost and chief financial officer John Woods talk about the future — and the for-profit online university’s checkered past. (Click here to read our story from the interview.)

How will the megadeal work? And why does President C. Scott Green believe it’s time to make a deal?

Listen to the latest Kevin Richert Podcast for the answers.

They talk about what a teacher’s summer really looks like, and what community members can do to make teachers feel appreciated in lasting and meaningful ways.

Plus, they highlight the teachers who changed their lives and made them want careers in the classroom.

And there’s more. The West Ada School District is taking a novel approach to its record-setting building proposal.

And more still. The Coeur d’Alene School District says it might have to close schools and eliminate sports and extracurricular activities if voters reject its latest levy request.

To break down the stakes and the politics, Idaho School Boards Association deputy director Quinn Perry joins Kevin Richert on this edition of the podcast.

In this episode, he shares his thoughts on balancing teaching and politics, and reflects on the session and its implications for education. Here’s our conversation. 

But Little also says the fight over school and public libraries isn’t going away.

On the latest Kevin Richert Podcast, we hear from Little critiquing the session, in a roundtable meeting with Statehouse reporters.

And they give tips on juggling extra duties and how to build and repair relationships with students and parents. Give it a listen at the link below or wherever you get your podcasts.

To preview the process, Kevin Richert interviews the co-chairs of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee: Sen. C. Scott Grow, R-Eagle; and Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls.

On the newest episode of The Teachers’ Lounge podcast, a panel of teachers discuss common teacher myths, extreme student behavior, and classroom success stories. The guests include: Karen Lauritzen, 2023 Idaho Teacher of the Year and a teacher at Treaty Rock Elementary (Post Falls); Julie Nawrocki, a math teacher at Skyline High (Idaho Falls); and Lyndsey Matthews, an English teacher at Alameda Middle (Pocatello).

And education issues are beginning to percolate at the Statehouse.

This week, Kevin Richert interviews the chairs of Legislature’s education committees: Sen. Dave Lent, R-Idaho Falls, and Rep. Julie Yamamoto, R-Caldwell.

They’re not sure they like the direction the state is going. They’re concerned about the economy. And they have definite opinions about where the state should spend its education dollars.

Those are a few takeaways from Boise State University’s eighth annual Idaho Public Policy Survey, released in January. For this week’s podcast, Kevin Richert takes a deeper dive into the numbers with Matthew May, survey research director for Boise State’s School of Public Service.

Clark Corbin of Idaho Capital Sun joins Kevin Richert this week, to take a deep dive into the dollars, and the most powerful committee in the Statehouse.

In his State of the State address, the governor unveiled a plan to boost teacher salaries by $145.6 million, create an $80 million scholarship program, and make the Empowering Parents grant program permanent, at a cost of $30 million a year.

Now what happens? Kevin Richert analyzes the speech, soundbite by soundbite, and looks to the rest of the session.

“The Teacher’s Lounge,” Episode 9: Switching to full-day kindergarten and more with teacher Valerie Tims

This week, Carly Flandro sits down with kindergarten teacher Valerie Tims to ask what it’s been like to shift from half to full-day kindergarten. Tims also talks about what parents can do to best prepare their kids for kindergarten, and how they can continue to support learning from there.

The spending and policy decisions fall to a new-look Legislature, including 45 lawmakers who weren’t in the Statehouse a year ago.

It adds up to an eventful and unpredictable legislative session.

To preview the session, Kevin Richert interviews four of the state’s prominent education lobbyists: Matt Compton of the Idaho Education Association; Rod Gramer of Idaho Business for Education; Andy Grover of the Idaho Association of School Administrators; and Quinn Perry of the Idaho School Boards Association.

And for the Mountain States Policy Center, a fledgling, free-market think tank based in Coeur d’Alene.

This week, Kevin Richert interviews Chris Cargill, the center’s president and CEO, about the group’s priorities in education — and the results of its recent statewide public opinion poll.

On one afternoon in October, hundreds of Latino students received a share of nearly $9 million in college scholarships — awarded at the Hispanic Youth Leadership Summit at The College of Idaho.

To put these scholarships into perspective, Kevin Richert talks this week with JJ Saldaña, community resource development specialist for the Idaho Commission of Hispanic Affairs; and Cristal Le, a senior at Nampa’s Ridgevue High School, and one of the scholarship recipients.

Hear why the U of I resumed classes on Nov. 15, two days after four students were found dead in an off-campus house. Hear about how the rest of the semester could unfold — and what might happen in January, when spring semester begins.

Carly Flandro sits down with Julie Nawrocki, a math teacher at Idaho Fall’s Skyline High, to talk about being the only teacher on Superintendent-elect Debbie Critchfield’s transition team. Nawrocki talks about the work she hopes to do on the team, and says she’ll put students at the center of every discussion and decision.

To get some answers, Kevin Richert sits down with CWI board chair Molly Lenty.

What does it all mean for schools, for parents and for taxpayers?

To break it all down, the Kevin Richert Podcast puts together an expert panel this week: Clark Corbin, a reporter with the Idaho Capital Sun and an Idaho EdNews alumnus; Rod Gramer, CEO of Idaho Business for Education; and Jaclyn Kettler, a Boise State University political science professor.

To preview Tuesday’s elections, Kevin Richert sits down with Boise State University political science professor Stephanie Witt and Idaho EdNews reporter Sadie Dittenber, who is heading up our coverage of the state superintendent’s race.

Listen here:

Scores dropped across the board in Idaho. But Idaho also held its own — and even fared well — compared to national scores.

To get some insight into what we learned this week, Kevin Richert sits down with Paul Kleinert, NAEP coordinator for the State Department of Education.

On Monday, state superintendent’s candidates Debbie Critchfield and Terry Gilbert will square off (Idaho Public Television, 8 p.m. MDT and 7 p.m. PDT).

But several candidates — including Gov. Brad Little — have refused to debate this fall.

This week, Kevin Richert talks to Melissa Davlin of Idaho Public Television about debates — and how they reveal the policies and the personalities of the candidates who participate.

In this episode of “The Teachers’ Lounge,” Carly Flandro talks with Lynn Gangone, the president and CEO of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, about the history and national scope of declining interest in the field of teaching, as well as solutions to the shortage.

“We need to be both realistic and optimistic,” she said. 

This week, Kevin Richert interviews Republican candidate Debbie Critchfield about last month’s special legislative session, school building needs and the hardline education platform approved during July’s state GOP convention.

And in case you missed it, Richert interviewed Democratic candidate Terry Gilbert last week. (Listen to that podcast here.)

And he believes Idaho’s public school system is under attack.

This week, Kevin Richert interviews the Democratic state schools superintendent candidate about his vision for education in Idaho — and his priorities if he’s elected on Nov. 8.

(Next week’s podcast will feature an interview with Republican state superintendent candidate Debbie Critchfield.)

This week, Carly talks with Karen Lauritzen, the 2023 Idaho Teacher of the Year. With her new platform, the fourth-grade teacher plans to tout Idaho’s successes.

“What’s going on in our public schools is: dedicated educators doing amazing amounts of work to accomplish miracles every single day with kids,” she said. 

But she’s not going to shy away from obstacles in Idaho education, either, and said more funding and resources should be diverted to addressing student mental health and behavioral challenges; creating lower class sizes; and developing more early childhood programs — like completely state-funded preschool. 

So, how will Idaho spend all that new education money? And where?
Kevin Richert digs into these questions with Rep. Wendy Horman. A member of the Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, Horman plays a key role in writing Idaho education budgets.

Idaho State University President Kevin Satterlee wants the Pocatello campus to go carbon-neutral.

He also wants the campus community to redouble its commitment to engagement and civil discourse.

For this week’s podcast, Kevin Richert interviews Satterlee about these initiatives — and enrollment, student retention, scholarships and the remaking of Holt Arena.

Boise High School’s Shiva Rajbhandari talks about how he will juggle his senior year and a two-year term on the board. His victory has sparked much conversation on our Facebook page.

Find out what Rajbhandari has to say, including which movie he and his campaign supporters watched while awaiting Tuesday night’s vote tally.

There was … a lot of news this week.

A batch of school bond issues and levies — big-ticket elections in Coeur d’Alene, Vallivue and Middleton, and a small but important election in tiny Three Creek.

And then came the Legislature. In a one-day “extraordinary session,” lawmakers approved $650 million in tax cuts and a new $410 million in education spending.

Kevin Richert and Idaho EdNews reporter Sadie Dittenber get you caught up in this week’s podcast.

The Teachers’ Lounge: Episode 1

First, on Tuesday, 12 school districts will seek $261.4 million in bond issues and levies.

Then, on Thursday, lawmakers will return to the Statehouse for a special session. Gov. Brad Little wants a $410 million permanent increase in education spending, along with $500 million in tax credits and more than $150 million a year in income tax cuts.

To break all of this down — and look at the bigger picture of building schools in a time of high inflation and high growth — Kevin Richert interviews Quinn Perry, deputy director of the Idaho School Boards Association.

The new North Idaho College president takes the helm of a two-year school in turmoil. Its accreditation is in jeopardy, and Swayne needs to fill several top administrative posts. Enrollment is dropping. And come November, voters will elect three trustees — and that could again shift the balance of power on a divided board.

Kevin Richert interviews Swayne for this week’s podcast.

The former teacher is one of our new reporters here at Idaho Education News. She joined us on June 27.

This week, she joins Kevin Richert to talk more about two of her recent reporting projects: an in-depth look at Idaho’s perennially low rankings in per-pupil spending; and a closer look at the future of college placement exams.

Blowback over pandemic protocols. Allegations of critical race theory. Polarized school board elections with partisan overrtones.

And this month, the  Coeur d’Alene School District will seek a 10-year, $80 million plant facilities.

This week, Kevin Richert talks with Coeur d’Alene Superintendent Shon Hocker about the election, and the politics of his panhandle district.

Meanwhile, coronavirus case rates are creeping upward, statewide and nationally.

What should parents and educators know about the BA.5 variant, and its implications for the new school year?

To get answers, Kevin Richert interviews retired St. Luke’s health system CEO Dr. David Pate for this week’s podcast.

And the Idaho Republican Party just wrapped up a state convention that veered the party sharply to the right.

Both developments will shape the 2023 legislative session.

To explain it all, Kevin Richert talks with Idaho Capital Sun reporter (and friend of the podcast) Clark Corbin.

As a teacher, a principal and, for the past decade, as the manager of the State Board of Education’s college and career advising program.

Yankey retired last week. But he joins Kevin Richert on this week’s podcast, to talk about his career and the challenge of getting high school graduates to continue their education.

A Tuesday U.S. Supreme Court ruling could open the doors to public funding of religious schools.

The Biden administration faces pushback over proposed rules regarding federal charter school startup grants.

And the State Board of Education took the unusual step of closing an Idaho charter school.

To break it all down, Kevin Richert interviews Terry Ryan, the CEO of Bluum, a nonprofit that works with charter schools across Idaho.

(Disclosure: Bluum and Idaho Education News are funded by the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation.)

The group has turned in its petitions in its bid to get its Quality Education Act on the November ballot. County clerks are reviewing the petitions, and it will be weeks before we know if the initiative has qualified for the ballot.

If it passes, the initiative would call for increasing corporate income tax rates and tax rates for Idahoans making more than $250,000 a year and families making more than $500,000. The money, more than $300 million, would go into K-12.

This week, Kevin Richert interviews Reclaim Idaho co-founder Luke Mayville about the initiative and the political waiting game.

Mike Munger works on these issues on a daily basis. He’s the manager of the state’s School Safety and Security Program, which reviews safety protocols and procedures at Idaho’s public schools.

This week, Munger joins Kevin Richert to talk about Uvalde, the national debate — and the roles all Idahoans can play in keeping their schools safe.

A year later, what is the state of early education in Idaho? And how does the all-day kindergarten push change the landscape?

This week, Kevin Richert interviews Beth Oppenheimer, executive director of the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children.

The mainstream Republican candidates won most of the big statewide races. But conservative Raul Labrador unseated 20-year attorney general Lawrence Wasden, and the right wing gained some significant ground in the state Senate.

To explain it all, Stephanie Witt of Boise State University and Clark Corbin of Idaho Capital Sun join Kevin Richert for the podcast.

This week’s podcast guest is Rod Gramer — the CEO of Idaho Business for Education, and a longtime observer of Idaho politics.

He talks about how these elections are different than what we’ve seen before: sometimes costlier, and driven by nationalized issues.

The debates are history. The voting is underway. And the campaign ads are … everywhere.

This week, Melissa Davlin of Idaho Public Television’s “Idaho Reports” joins Kevin Richert to talk over the landscape heading into May 17.