Idaho Education News

Fall IRI Top 10 Lists: Treasure Valley schools reign

Carly Flandro — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 00:25:38 +0000

The Treasure Valley claims more schools — whether traditional, magnet, or charter — with top reading scores than anywhere else in the state, according to results from the fall Idaho Reading Indicator.

The results, released last week, showed a slight improvement statewide, with 58% of Idaho students reading at grade level, as opposed to 57% last fall. But some individual schools and districts far exceed the state average — Boise’s Longfellow Elementary, for example, had nearly 92% of students reading at grade level.

Standardized tests in Idaho make quite the alphabet soup: There’s ISAT, IRI, AP, SAT, PSAT, and NAEP exams. Check out our explanatory guide to make sense of it all.

EdNews compiled Top 10 Lists to showcase the state’s top performers on the exam, taken by about 90,000 Idaho students in grades K-3, and they were often stacked with schools from the state’s most urban area.

In this case, student achievement seems to correlate more with school location than school type.

West Ada leaders recently acknowledged that large, urban districts like theirs do have certain advantages — like a large staff, more resources, and a greater tax base.

To see if your school was a top performer, check out our lists below.

First consider some caveats

We’ve grouped the highest performers into the following categories:

traditional schools
charter, magnet, and nontraditional schools
traditional districts
nontraditional local education agencies

There’s also a ranking of the 10 largest traditional districts.

Before you look through the lists, keep a few things in mind:

These lists don’t account for enrollment differences (with the exception of the large district ranking). In smaller schools and districts, it can be easier to achieve high proficiency rates than in large schools/districts because data more easily skews high or low based on the performance of a relative few.
The lists also don’t account for demographic differences, such as a student body’s affluence, English proficiency, or other such factors that can affect a school’s test results.
Some data has been redacted by the state, so not all districts and schools are represented.
While we strive to compare the most similar types of schools and districts, there are still a number of differences that aren’t accounted for (like those mentioned above and others). No comparison can be completely fair because of that.
For complete datasets, click on the links at the bottom of the article.

Top performers: Traditional schools

Treasure Valley schools permeate this list. Only one school from outside the area, tiny Parker-Egin Elementary (with an enrollment of 89), joined them.

There was a higher bar for entry (80.4%) for this list than for the nontraditional schools list (where it was 77.1%).

School (District)	% of students reading at grade level
Longfellow Elementary (Boise)	91.7
Adams Elementary (Boise)	87.6
Collister Elementary (Boise)	87.4
Paramount Elementary (West Ada)	87.4
Trail Wind Elementary (Boise)	85.8
Washington Elementary (Boise)	83.6
Riverside Elementary (Boise)	83.2
Highlands Elementary (Boise)	82.4
Eagle Hills Elementary (West Ada)	81.7
Parker-Egin Elementary (Fremont)	80.4

Top performers: Charter, magnet and nontraditional schools

Treasure Valley schools again pervade this list, with just three schools located elsewhere. This list is similar to the nontraditional LEAs list, except that it includes three magnet schools (which are part of traditional districts).

For an explainer on types of schools, check out our Spelling it Out.

School (Location)	% of students reading at grade level
Compass Public Charter (Meridian)	85.5
Victory Charter (Nampa)	83.9
North Star Charter (Eagle)	83.9
Pioneer of the Arts (Boise)	83.6
North Idaho STEM Charter Academy (Rathdrum)	82.7
Sorensen Magnet (Coeur d’Alene)	81.6
Galileo Magnet (Eagle)	80.4
Upper Carmen Public Charter (Carmen)	80.4
Rolling Hills Public Charter (Boise)	78.6
Sage International (Boise)	77.3

Top performers: Traditional districts

Most of the districts on this list are small and rural. Troy, a tiny district that frequents these lists, came out on top.

It’s the only list with high geographic diversity; Treasure Valley schools or educational institutions inundate the rest. That could be because smaller districts have the advantage of small student bodies, and scores that can easily skew high or low.

The barrier of entry for this list (68%) is much lower than the barrier of entry (75%) for the non-traditional local education agencies list.

District	% of students reading at grade level
Troy	73.5
North Gem	72.7
Grace	72.1
Kamiah	71.1
Midvale	69.4
West Ada	68.8
Dietrich	68.6
Melba	68.4
Swan Valley Elementary	68.2
McCall-Donnelly	68

Top performers: Nontraditional local education agencies

Treasure Valley charter schools dominate this list, claiming 8 of 11 spots.

LEA	% of students reading at grade level
Compass Public Charter (Meridian)	85.5
Victory Charter (Nampa)	83.9
North Star Charter (Eagle)	83.9
North Idaho STEM Charter Academy (Rathdrum)	82.7
Upper Carmen Public Charter (Carmen)	80.4
Rolling Hills Public Charter (Boise)	78.6
The Sage International School (Boise)	77.3
Falcon Ridge Public Charter (Kuna)	77.1
Gem Prep: Meridian South	76.1
Liberty Charter (Nampa)	75
Taylor’s Crossing Public Charter (Idaho Falls)	75

Largest traditional districts, ranked

There was a gap of about 19 percentage points between the highest-performing large district (West Ada, with about 69% of students reading at grade level) and the lowest-performing (Twin Falls, with only about half of students reading at grade level).

District	% reading at grade level
West Ada	68.8
Boise	65.3
Coeur d’Alene	63.6
Bonneville	60.3
Pocatello	59.9
Vallivue	58.5
Oneida	57.1
Idaho Falls	52.1
Nampa	50.4
Twin Falls	49.4

Full datasets are also available for those interested: IRI scores by school; IRI scores by district.

Further reading on spring IRI results:

Idaho Education News data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report.

Divided and disenchanted: Why a rural Idaho community refuses to fund education

Carly Flandro — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 21:29:23 +0000

GRANGEVILLE — Over and over again, a rural North Idaho school district has asked local taxpayers to chip in for local education.

And they’ve repeatedly said no — most recently on Nov. 7, marking the fourth consecutive denial of a Mountain View School District levy ask in as many years.

Nonetheless, trustees are going to try again in May. This time they’ll request a two-year, $6.2 million levy instead of a one-year, $3.1 million levy.

They keep asking because the alternatives are bleak, according to Carly Behler, the district’s comptroller. If the next measure doesn’t pass, trustees will consider closing a school to cut costs — a possibility that many community members oppose.

If passed, the levy would fund a gamut of district needs, including: utilities, substitutes, support staff, maintenance and repairs, athletics, transportation, employee benefits, insurance, instructional materials, professional services, technology, custodial supplies, and special education contracted services.

At the board’s last meeting, patrons — including some students — advocated to keep all five of its schools open. Community members worry that Clearwater Valley High would be on the chopping block, but Superintendent Kim Spacek said trustees haven’t decided whether to close a school, or which one. Those conversations will come if voters deny the levy in May.

Mountain View School District schools: Grangeville Elementary/Middle; Grangeville High; Clearwater Valley High; Clearwater Valley Elementary; Elk City School

“There were a lot of passionate comments,” Behler said. “They were saying how important the school is and how it creates the community. If you take that away, it really impacts whether people would want to move or even live there.”

But so far, that public sentiment hasn’t translated to financial support.

The repeated levy failures are unusual, as the measures usually pass. In the past five years, voters have approved 94% of supplemental levies (which require simple majority approval) in Idaho.

Time Period	Amount of supplemental levy asks statewide	Supplemental levies passed / pass rate
2019 – 2023	277	259 / 94%

The reasons for the community pushback are many, according to school officials: a divided community; family budgets crunched by increasing property values and taxes; rebellion against a Legislature that relies on local communities to close education funding gaps; distrust of public education; and a growing homeschool movement.

It’s a “perfect storm,” Amanda Bush, the district’s special education coordinator, said — an extreme case of what can happen when voters become disenfranchised with school districts and/or government.

“We are just an example of how all of those things can come together and cause real problems for a school district,” she said.

She doesn’t “blame anybody,” or fault their reasons. There are problems with school funding, but the answer is not to stop financially supporting local education, she said.

“I’m frustrated that we continue to struggle to just exist,” she said. “For the benefit of our students, I want our schools to be healthy, safe places for kids.”

“I’m frustrated that we continue to struggle to just exist.” — Amanda Bush, special education coordinator, Mountain View School District.

A community divided — and disenchanted

Bush said she’s seeing more and more students disenroll to become homeschooled, reflecting a national trend.

“There’s a shift against public education in rural, and in really conservative communities, across the county,” she said. “There’s a huge increase in homeschooling that’s happening here.”

The district primarily serves two communities — Grangeville and Clearwater Valley — and each has its own elementary and high school. While the communities are about 28 miles apart — a winding, 45-minute drive — more than distance divides them. Clearwater Valley has a strong homeschooled population, to the point where they feel “they don’t need our school system,” Bush said.

Mountain View School District by the numbers:
Total students: 1,169
Grangeville students: 838
Clearwater Valley/Elk City students: 331

In the last election, it was the Clearwater Valley votes that sank the levy, Bush said. Clearwater Valley is also more rural, has less industry, and fewer job opportunities.

Part of what drives the rancor about levies is a rivalry between Grangeville and Clearwater Valley. There have been increasing calls to separate Mountain View School District into two, smaller districts.

“The communities are so divided that they’re determined to keep failing levies because they don’t want to support the other,” Behler said.

Local voters also feel disenfranchised by the dependence on local taxpayers to fund education.

“There’s a strong sense in our community that property taxes supporting schools are unconstitutional,” she said. “(Patrons) want the (Idaho Department of Education) to fund education 100%.”

At the same time, taxpayers feel the squeeze of increasing property values and the increasing property taxes that go with them.

A new superintendent is hopeful for a levy success story

Spacek, new to the district this year, noted that other districts in the area have passed levies, and often.

“They must have a good relationship with their community and provide the type of education their community wants,” he said. “And so that’s a challenge for Mountain View.”

The district and its communities have questions to answer, he said, like whether forming two districts is a solution worth pursuing, and how to best prepare students for life after high school.

But he saw the 48% levy approval at the last election as progress.

“That’s probably the closest it’s been to passing for a long time,” he said. “To me, that’s a positive because there’s a recognition that we need to do something for schools.”

Community schools, not vouchers, are the way forward in Idaho

Rep. Lauren Necochea — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 19:20:07 +0000

Great schools depend on strong communities. Strong communities, in turn, require great schools. In Idaho, many education leaders are working to bolster student success with the “community school” model. The announcement of a new federal grant marks a signiﬁcant stride toward expanding this proven approach across our state.

Community schools recognize that students come with families — families who need to be engaged in their children’s education and who often need connections to resources to thrive.

Four Boise schools ﬁrst launched the national model in Idaho in 2016. Today, Idaho has 41 community schools across 25 districts. I was fortunate to see the difference ﬁrsthand at my children’s elementary school: parents are frequently invited into the school to engage with their students’ learning, staff coordinate parent support classes, partnerships with food banks fuel in-school pantries, and coordinators connect parents to nonproﬁt resources when they are facing homelessness, healthcare needs, and other challenges.

The community school approach is backed by research demonstrating better student attendance, reductions in disciplinary events, and improved achievement. Unfortunately, a major limiting factor in their expansion in Idaho has been funding. We have a patchwork of haves and have-nots when we ought to ensure every child can attend a community school. This is why our new federal investment is so exciting.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona’s recent visit to Idaho underscores the promise of this opportunity. Idaho will receive a Full-Service Community Schools grant totaling $6.5 million annually from the Biden Administration to expand the reach of community schools. This will mean 50 additional schools implementing the model, speciﬁcally targeting rural areas and Title I schools, which have higher portions of families facing low wages.

The Marsing School District has demonstrated the lifeline that community schools provide in rural Idaho. In the absence of state-funded preschool, the district established early learning programs at the local community center and partnered with neighboring districts to create a special education partnership. When the local food bank and senior center closed, the school district and community partners collaborated to create a school resource center. Marsing illustrates how community schools ﬁll critical gaps in services, especially in regions where resources are more spread out.

The success of community schools across diverse landscapes is partly why they have broad political support. They also provide a stark contrast to school vouchers, which siphon critical taxpayer dollars to private schools with no oversight or accountability.

We must make smart investments in the promise of public education and offer real solutions to the unique challenges faced by students and families. Idaho Democrats will continue to support initiatives to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed

Lawmaker: ‘Rational people’ need to step up in GOP

Chuck Malloy — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 18:21:52 +0000

Bonneville County’s Republican Central Committee may have picked a fight against the wrong legislator.

Rep. Marco Erickson of Idaho Falls isn’t a bit worried about the central committee taking away his job in the Legislature. But he says they should be concerned about him going after their political positions. He says he’ll be running for a precinct office.

What’s happening in Bonneville County, he says, “wakes up people to the idea of why they need to run as precinct officers. We need to have rational people in there and civil discourse again. We’re going to have to take those small neighborhood positions and take back the party.”

Erickson, in his second term, is one of six GOP Republican legislators in Districts 32 and 33 who have been called out for multiple violations of the state party platform. None of the six scheduled appearances before the committee to answer to the allegations, which could lead to disciplinary action at some point.

Erickson shrugs off anything the central committee does. “I was elected without any of their influence.”

He says the complaint against him lists multiple violations. “They had 15, maybe 16. I don’t remember half of them, because they were so funny. It cracks me up – we’ve already had these discussions when they whined about it the first time.”

He said points were taken away for supporting initiatives pushed by the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, and not having high enough scores with the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s “Freedom Index.”

“Did we support those bills because they came from IACI? Well, no. We supported them because they were good for Idaho,” he said.

Erickson isn’t the only one who has issues with the central committee’s scoring system. Rep. Barbara Ehardt of Idaho Falls (District 33) – who has a background as an educator and coach – says she was downgraded for supporting funding for schools. She said her constituents, of all political stripes, strongly support school funding.

“They want it done,” Ehardt said. “If you are paying attention to your district, that’s what you get. If you are on the side that too much money is being spent, then it’s up to you and do the grunt work and change the hearts and minds of people – then share that information with legislators.”

Ehardt, a vocal conservative voice in the Legislature, says she was “shocked” about the notice from the central committee; up to now, the relationship with party leaders has been good. Ehardt says she’s always glad to discuss her votes, but the tone of the committee’s letter to her is not the basis of a “friendly” conversation.

Erickson sees the party leadership being taken over by losing candidates, or those who get high scores from the Idaho Freedom Foundation. “I’ll call them Libertarians Impersonating Republicans. What’s happening is a classic case of people who can’t win their own elections because they are so extreme. It’s backfiring on them left and right.”

The 44-year-old Erickson resists the notion that he is neither “Republican” or “conservative” enough. “I don’t measure myself based on score. I measure myself on the ability to be an effective leader. When you have surpluses like we’ve had, people are saying we should make investments back in the public – the infrastructure so we can have better quality roads and bridges … or for better schools. They can slam me all they want, but I understand things on a bigger level.”

Erickson is the vice chair of the House Health and Welfare Committee, which fits with his life away from the Legislature. He is a director of a non-profit coalition that focuses on issues such as drug and alcohol prevention, and after-school programs for teens – which has him communicating with families.

“And they want me to vote against the Health and Welfare budget? Are you kidding me? As legislators, we can’t spend hundreds of hours going through each budget. If JFAC (the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee) supports it, then I’m voting for it,” he says.

“For me personally, it’s time to step up. All it takes is one election and 30 new rational thinkers. If we get a majority, all those guys who are in there will be mostly out, or they will quit.”

Apparently, the political drama in Bonneville County is just getting started.

Millions to flow to rural career-technical education programs

Darren Svan — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 15:10:47 +0000

Cyber security is an in-demand career field. The Idaho Department of Education is providing career technical education grant funds to expand programs in rural communities.

Superintendent Debbie Critchfield believes rural communities are highly interested in increasing workforce-ready career technical programs for their students, so she wasn’t surprised by the “sheer demand” of grant applications reaching the Idaho Department of Education.

Thirty-two of 35 proposals went to rural schools, which accounts for a little more than three-fourths of the money awarded so far.

“It’s problem solving. It’s math. It’s science. It’s all of these things captured in work-based learning. I firmly believe that a good, hard day’s work is the answer to a lot of things,” Critchfield said.

During the last legislative session, when lawmakers approved $45 million for Idaho Career Ready Students (ICRS), Critchfield said her critics claimed she’s trying to turn every kid into a welder.

“That was one of the things we heard. If kids don’t want to weld, they still don’t have to. But when I went to Twin Falls High School, I asked the principal to take me to your most popular elective class,” Critchfield recalled. “It was welding.”

She encountered similar stories about career technical education in the farming, food processing, tourism and logging regions.

And applications have poured in. The state has received more in grant requests than it has money to allocate. In the span of four months, approximately $35.9 million of the $45 million ICRS grant money has been set aside for 35 proposal requests. Approximately $111 million was requested, which is 146% more than what they were able to award. About $9.1 million remains unspent.

The Department of Education is administering the program but spending decisions are made by the ICRS council — 11 industry leaders, career technical educators, lawmakers, education leaders and Critchfield.

Grants are intended to create or expand pathways into welding, fabrication, machining, agriculture, forestry, mining, nursing and cyber security. The program incentivizes rural schools to align programs with their community and industry needs. The money should reduce the problem of finding resources needed to sustain high-quality career technical programming.

Welding, fabrication, machining, agriculture, forestry, mining, nursing and cyber security are listed as in-demand career pathways.

The high-level of interest is evidence that career technical education is a powerful tool, Critchfield said. “I’m not surprised that our schools are trying to meet career goals for our students. I’m not surprised that there’s more interest in technical programs. I’m not surprised that kids want a jumpstart on their careers.”

But how will the state measure success and provide accountability for the millions promised across Idaho in communities like Middleton and Pocatello, and rural Deary, Malad, Orifino and Wilder? The ICRS council expects school districts to be “good stewards,” submit quarterly reports, a final project completion report and account for spending in district financial reports, according to the state’s website.

Local education agencies (LEA’s) are required to provide quarterly progress reports and a final project completion report to the Idaho Career Ready Students Council.

ICRS funds will need to be accounted for as part of a district/charter’s financial reports.

The council will consider metrics and evidence to measure success and return on investment at their February meeting. Expanding workforce-ready programs could impact job creation, unemployment, local economic growth, graduation rates, student mental health and career choices.

Districts are required to answer “show us how you’re going to know that this is successful and sustainable” on the the application.

Pocatello-Chubbuck School District’s longtime career technical education instructor Rhonda Naftz was emphatic about the impact in her region: “This is one of the greatest things the state of Idaho has ever offered to students.”

The Idaho Division of Career Technical Education released the following data that demonstrates the growth of high school CTE programs over the last six years.

FY 2019	FY 2020	FY 2021	FY 2022	FY 2023	FY 2024
701	751	900	927	945	1,114

Where is the ICRS money going?

The ICRS council met three times and committed 79% — or $28.2 million — for 32 rural and remote school district proposals; three proposals were awarded in areas not considered rural.

“It was very clear that we were under-serving local economies,” Critchfield recalled, about her visits around the state. In North Idaho, the forestry, logging and timber industry provided the catalyst “for getting this grant together. I consistently heard about great opportunities for students.”

Four forestry and natural resources proposals received $3.5 million for start-up or expansion of logging and the production of forestry products.

About 65% of all the money awarded ($23.5 million) went to five school districts’ capital projects. The districts receiving the largest awards are: Pocatello-Chubbuck, $6.5 million; Jefferson, $5.3 million; Minidoka, $4.9 million; Blackfoot, $3.9 million; Sugar-Salem, $2.7 million. In total, capital projects received $33.1 million. Existing programs at 13 schools received $391,165. And Potlatch, Firth, Shelley, Orofino and West Bonner districts were approved for new programs, totaling approximately $2.3 million.

“It’s life changing. This grant will change the face of CTE in this whole region,” Naftz said about Pocatello-Chubbuck’s career technical center, which is expected to officially open in 2024.

Hands-on, real-world learning is an answer for students who feel “aimless” or lack “confidence,” Critchfield said. “There is a sense of pride. You develop perseverance and grit.”

Millions were awarded to long- and short-term projects since July but only a small portion has been spent: about $400,000 through requests for reimbursement, a district issued purchase order or vendor invoice to the Department of Education. There is no deadline for when funds are to be spent. Any unused money will be returned to fund proposals not previously accepted.

Working with aluminum, this student practices machining at the Kootenai Technical Education Campus in Rathdrum. Machining is one of the identified in-demand career fields.

The ICRS council

The council’s next meeting is Feb. 16. Applications are due by Jan. 31. The council is made up of the following members:

Critchfield, who chairs the council.
Clay Long, administrator, Idaho Division of Career Technical Education.
Lex Godfrey, secondary CTE instructor, Career Technical Educators of Idaho.
Brandy Funk, secondary CTE instructor, Career Technical Educators of Idaho.
Rodney Farrington, associate professor, Career Technical Educators of Idaho.
Robb Bloem, StanCraft Companies, representing industry.
Dana Kirkham, Idaho Environmental Coalition, representing industry.
Angelique Rood, Idaho Power, representing industry.
Marie Price, Idaho Forest Group, representing the Workforce Development Council.
Sen. Kevin Cook, Idaho Senate, District 32.
Rep. Judy Boyle, Idaho House of Representatives, District 9.

“I have just been really just blown away at the level of attention and experience that people” on the council have, Critchfield said.

But rejecting applications is part of the process. Some proposals — particularly those outside the scope of in-demand careers — were rejected outright, but most are placed in the “not yet” category: they will be reconsidered, if money becomes available later.

The council rejected a request for heavy equipment. Additional ineligible expenses include:

Curriculum for existing programs.
Instructor travels for professional development, course work and conferences.
Student travel for general field trips and extra-curricular activities (specific, itemized requests for travel may be considered).
Soft costs associated with building programming and construction — contractor administration and overhead fees and building permits (architectural and design fees, and contingency fees are allowable expenses).

School districts and charters can apply for the funds here. The ICRS program was approved by the Legislature earlier this year and signed into law by Gov. Brad Little on March 31. Questions can be directed to program coordinator Allison Duman at aduman@sde.idaho.gov.

Pocatello-Chubbuck to offer a regional CTE center

The council awarded the Portneuf Valley Technical Education and Career Campus in Chubbuck $6.5 million to complete a regional CTE center that will serve students from surrounding communities who do not have access to programs.

A major development was the Pocatello-Chubbuck school board’s decision last year to purchase the old 78,000 square foot Allstate building for around $12 million, using local plant facilities levy and federal money. But without the new grant, Naftz believes it would have taken another six to 10 years to complete the career center in stages.

“For 23 years we’ve been thinking, talking and trying to figure out how it is going to work. We got very serious about seven years ago. So we’ve been at this for a long time,” Naftz said.

Surrounding school districts who could benefit from the regional CTE center are American Falls, Marsh Valley, Aberdeen, Rockland, Soda Springs, Grace and Malad. The center, expected to open in 2024, will serve between 1,000 to 1,400 students per day.

“We are opening that door for whichever students want to show up. When this building is finished, it’s not going to look like anything in the state. It’s going to be at a different level,” Naftz said.

Are CTE teacher endorsements increasing?

The approval process for new CTE programs takes place during the spring with the approval cycle ending on Feb. 15.

“We anticipate to see a continued growth during the upcoming application window. (Our agency) has seen significant growth in CTE programs throughout the state over the past six years,” said Megan O’Rourke, director of communications for Career Technical Education.

There were 1,089 teachers teaching CTE courses in the 2022-23 school year. There are 1,083 teachers this school year in classrooms across the state, but the agency says that could increase.

The number of teachers “still has room to increase over the balance of this year,” the agency reports.

There were 338 secondary applications for CTE endorsements last year. So far this year, the number is 171 but “similar to the growth in programming, we anticipate continued growth in applications,” O’Rourke said.

The following lists detail the $35.9 million approved by the ICRS council

Existing Programs

Notus School District #135 – Welding Program $27,000
Hansen School District #415 – Applied Accounting Program $25,530
Murtaugh School District #418 – Ag Education Program $20,324
Marsh Valley School District #21 – Automotive Service Technician and Mechanics $5,347
COSSA #555 – Automotive-Diesel Program Equipment Upgrades $56,721
Whitepine Joint School District #288 – Multi-Program Equipment Upgrades $47,871
Mullan School District #392 – Mullan Welding Program Equipment Upgrades $61,248
Oneida County School District #351 – CNC Plasma System $28,622
Council School District #013 – Ag Facility Equipment Upgrades $23,000
Wallace School District #393 – Welding & Wood Shop Equipment Upgrades $23,440
Castleford School District #417 – Welding Program Upgrades $22,250
Marsh Valley School District #21 – Welding Program Upgrades $32,617
Bear Lake School District #033 – Automotive Technology Equipment Upgrades $17,195

New Programs

Potlatch School District #285 – Forestry and Natural Resources Program $989,198
Firth School District #59 – Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Program $25,375
Shelley School District #60 – Welding Program $55,457
Orofino Joint School District #171 – Natural Resources & Forestry Pathway $528,100
West Bonner School District #083 – CTE Natural Resources Pathway $725,240

Capital Projects

Midvale School District #433 – Ag Education Facility Expansion $1,058,000
Minidoka School District #331 – CTE Facility $4,900,000
Pocatello-Chubbuck School District #25 – CTE Campus (PV-TEC) $6,500,000
Kimberly School District #414 – Ag Education Facility Expansion $1,320,000
Cassia County School District #151 – Diesel Program Facility $1,659,491
Wilder School District #133 – Ag Education Facility Expansion $301,487
Blackfoot School District #55 – CTE Center (BTEC) $3,898,071
Sugar-Salem School District #322 – Multi-Program CTE Facility $2,700,000
Soda Springs School District #150 – Multi-Program CTE Facility $370,960
New Plymouth School District #372 – New Ag Education Building $2,272,799
Cascade School District #422 – Ag Welding Shop HVAC/Electrical Upgrades $16,361
Firth School District #59 – Ag Shop Upgrades $103,299
Hansen School District #415 – Animal Science Pathway Facility $71,309
Middleton School District #134 – Multi-Program CTE Facility $1,124,800
Fremont County School District #215 – Greenhouse Facility $253,120
Jefferson School District #251 – Multi-Program CTE Facility $5,300,000
St. Maries Joint School District #041 – Multi-Program CTE Facility $1,280,934

Charter commission names new director

Ryan Suppe — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 23:45:08 +0000

The Idaho Public Charter School Commission has a new director. Jacob Smith, the commission’s current finance program manager, accepted the job Friday.

Smith told Idaho Education News that he’s excited to continue with the commission, support charter schools and increase opportunities for students.

“I am an advocate for innovative approaches to meeting our students’ needs,” Smith said, “and I look forward to working with all education stakeholders who make a positive impact on the success of our students.”

Commissioners on Thursday unanimously voted to offer the job to Smith, after closed-door interviews with three candidates who were finalists for the position. Commissioners initially concealed Smith’s identity, referring to him as “candidate 913,” and didn’t publicly approve the details of the offer.

Jacob Smith is the Idaho Public Charter School Commission’s new director.

Interim commission director Alex Adams on Friday provided Idaho Education News with the signed offer letter. Smith will earn $114,400 annually and will start on Jan. 8, according to the letter. Adams also provided EdNews with Smith’s work experience, after initially declining to share it and citing Idaho law that protects employee resumes from disclosure.

As the commission’s finance program manager since 2022, Smith oversees the agency’s budget and assists charter schools with financial reporting and performance standards. Before joining the commission, Smith was the director of operations for Idaho Digital Learning Alliance, where he “played a crucial role in establishing” it as a government entity, according to a biography provided by the commission.

Smith holds degrees in accounting and business administration from Boise State University and Northwest Nazarene University.

Smith will be the third full-time commission director in less than a year. Previous director Nichole Hall resigned in favor of another job after just two months with the commission. Hall had replaced Jenn Thompson, who resigned in March alongside former commissioner Brian Scigliano. The pair accused the board of acting irresponsibly.

Sixteen people applied for the job. The other two finalists were Monica Church, executive director of the Frank Church Institute at Boise State University, and Michelle Dunstan, a former education director at Anser Charter School in Boise.

“They were very qualified candidates,” Commission Chairman Alan Reed said Thursday. “Each of them had a unique perspective on what needs to be done, but yet they were all on the same page as wanting to move charter schools forward and provide support and strength to the schools.”

Education leaders embrace proposal for Idaho-based paraprofessional exam

Darren Svan — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 21:12:02 +0000

The Professional Standards Commission (PSC) will recommend that Idaho adopt an alternative paraprofessional assessment that’s developed locally.

Paraprofessionals provide support for students and teachers in areas like special education and student services. They can tutor students or assist the teacher with managing the classroom and organizing instructional materials, and provide individual support for students with special needs.

The PSC makes recommendations to the State Board of Education, which governs public educational institutions and school systems. The 18-member PSC voted unanimously Friday to recommend an assessment developed locally by the Boise School District, called the “Idaho Paraprofessional Testing Alternative” (IPTA).

There is “significant need” for an alternative test for rural schools, said Ryan Cantrell, chief deputy superintendent for the Idaho Department of Education and PSC member. Rural schools “can’t get people to the Praxis,” Cantrell said, referring to the Educational Testing Service’s (ETS) ParaPro Assessment, a reading, writing and math certification test for prospective paraprofessionals that is required in Idaho.

Many districts have potential hires drive to distant testing centers, one of four barriers contributing to the statewide shortage of paraprofessionals. Another factor is the $55 testing cost, which has to be paid each time a candidate takes or retakes the test. The other two are outdated equipment and an inordinately high passing score.

“Idaho needs every tool possible to help stem the tide of shortages,” a commission member said Friday morning.

School districts and charter schools have only one choice at the moment. Boise’s IPTA is an alternative method, so districts who prefer the current ETS test can continue using it. The IPTA is designed to meet both state and federal requirements. Idaho Code allows a state-approved assessment for endorsement.

The IPTA has a passing score of 75%. There are two exam options: a no-technology, paper-and-pencil version; and a Google Form version that is automatically graded and scores are saved. Individual school districts and charter schools can choose where to administer the test. The IPTA is free.

Boise’s methodology utilized five measures: researching state and federal requirements; formatting the test to Idaho’s paraprofessional standards; developing consistency with the ETS test; employing a team of teachers to write content-specific test questions; beta-testing the assessment with teachers and paraprofessionals.

Jason Hutchinson, Boise’s director of human services, and his team presented the IPTA proposal to the PSC’s recommendation’s committee. He noted several issues about ETS’s testing procedures that are complicating the paraprofessional shortage.

One of those is maintaining technology capable of interfacing with ETS’ outdated systems — a major problem for Boise. The district administers the test in-house so it must maintain outdated systems in order to provide the test.

This year Boise administered 19 ETS exams. Two candidates did not pass. Last year, the district provided 56 tests and nine people failed. Those nine did not return to retake the test. At a price of $55, those 56 tests likely cost the district about $3,000.

In other business, the PSC voted unanimously to recommend that the State Board amend the ETS ParaPro Assessment qualifying score from 460 to 457.

Four teachers punished for violating Idaho’s Code of Ethics

Darren Svan — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 18:09:56 +0000

Idaho’s Professional Standards Commission (PSC) took action Friday against four teachers who violated the state’s Code of Ethics for public educators.

The standards commission is an 18-member volunteer board made up of teachers, school administrators and higher education officials, who have the authority to approve, suspend and revoke teaching and administrative licenses in Idaho.

The commission revoked and suspended licenses for a range of violations, from rape to viewing pornography on a school computer.

Below are summaries of the complaints against the educators and the commission’s disciplinary decisions.

Wade Schvaneveldt — Soda Springs School District

Wade Schvaneveldt

Wade Schvaneveldt engaged in a sexual relationship with a teenager and he was sentenced in June to serve a prison term of 8-18 years. He held a career technical education certificate and a teaching certificate with economics and mathematics endorsements. He was convicted of two felonies related to the rape charge.

The PSC permanently revoked his teaching certifications.

Nancy H. Lucio — Heritage Academy

Nancy H. Lucio used her school district computer to forward confidential student and employee information to her personal email address. She held an interim administrative certificate with school principal endorsement and an interim teaching certificate with early childhood education and English as a second language endorsements.

The PSC issued a letter of reprimand for her personnel file and will require an ethics course be completed.

Mark Baer — Plummer-Worley School District

Mark Baer used his school district computer to view pornography. He holds a teaching certificate with English, social studies and history endorsements.

The PSC suspended his teaching certification for two years, with the condition he complete an ethics course and that a licensed counselor issue a letter demonstrating that he is fit to be in the classroom.

Christopher S. Perrigot — Minidoka County School District

Christopher S. Perrigot pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery. He admitted to unlawfully touching the buttocks of a female student in 2021. He holds an alternative authorization content specialist license with all subjects endorsement and held a non-traditional CSI interim teaching certificate with all schools endorsement.

The PSC suspended his teaching certification for five years with possible conditional reinstatement: receiving the benefit of the withheld judgement or dismissal of the underlying conviction; no other criminal convictions; completion of two ethics courses on boundaries and classroom management.

Kelly Moysh — Blackfoot School District

Kelly Moysh provided diuretic Lasix pills to one or more students on the wrestling team. The pills are a banned substance and were obtained in Mexico. He drove a bus transporting the varsity wrestling team to Post Falls but did not have the proper certifications to drive the vehicle. He was both a teacher and wrestling coach. He holds a teaching certificate with visual arts endorsement.

The PSC did not take any action on his license. The PSC’s administrative complaint recommends suspending his teaching certification until he: completes an ethics, drug-free workplace and understanding academic dishonesty courses; and an honoring the game course from Positive Coaching Alliance.

Current administrative complaints

EdNews obtained four additional administrative complaints through a record’s request. The PSC has not made a final decision against the teacher, staff or administrator being investigated for violating Idaho Code. The state provides an opportunity to contest the allegations contained in the complaint during its administrative proceeding, if requested by the person accused of wrongdoing. One or more of the cases could be placed on the PSC’s next scheduled meeting for disciplinary decisions.

Cory Gaylor — Kuna School District

Cory Gaylor pleaded guilty to lewd conduct with a child under the age of 16 and “children-enticing” over the Internet. He was convicted in 2023. He holds a teaching certificate with world language and Spanish endorsements. The PSC recommends permanent revocation of his certifications, according to the administrative complaint.

Eric M. McDermott — Boise School District

Eric M. McDermott was convicted of sexual battery of a minor child between the ages of 16-17. He was convicted this year. He holds a teaching certificate with English, social studies and history endorsements. He was employed by the Boise school district during the 2022-23 school year. The PSC recommends permanent revocation of his certifications, according to the administrative complaint.

Ronald Stone — Coeur d’Alene School District

Ronald Stone was convicted in 2022 of two counts of lewd conduct with a minor under the age of 16. He is serving life in prison. He held a teaching certificate with all subjects endorsement and a pupil service certificate with a school counselor endorsement. The PSC recommends permanent revocation of his certifications, according to the administrative complaint.

Donald B. Young — COSSA Schools

Donald B. Young made inappropriate comments to colleagues and students, such as a desire to have sex with colleagues and commenting on female students’ bodies. He holds an occupational specialist teaching certificate with auto maintenance and light repair endorsements. He was employed by COSSA Schools — Parma, Notus, Wilder and Marsing schools districts – during the 2022-23 school year. The PSC recommends suspending his certifications until he completes ethics, boundaries and classroom management courses. Evidence of completion must be provided to the commission prior to consideration for reinstatement, according to the administrative complaint.

Executive committee recommendations

The PSC’s executive committee went into a short executive session to review three cases. In open session, they did not use names but case file numbers. They declined a counteroffer in case 22317 (Kelly Moysh), recommended to permanently revoke the teacher’s certificate in case 22327 and revoke the teacher’s certificate in case 22314. EdNews requested more information on cases 22327 and 22314 but was informed that these documents are not currently a public record. These cases could come before the PSC at a future meeting.

The PSC staff reported that two complaints had been reviewed and returned without an administrative complaint issued; there are three new cases for the executive committee to review at its next meeting and eight new cases recently opened that could come before the PSC for review.

Runoff elections set a higher standard

Veterans for Idaho Voters — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 17:46:02 +0000

The Open Primaries Initiative uses the term “Instant runoff” to describe the process of counting general election votes. In every election, a candidate with the majority’s support is desirable. Instant runoffs are the better, faster and more affordable way to run an election when you have four candidates competing and want one winner with majority support.

Runoff elections set a higher standard because they demand the winning politician earn more than 50% of the votes. Many Idahoans are surprised to know that runoff elections have been part of how we elect city officials since 1984. According to the Secretary of State’s office, nine Idaho cities – American Falls, Blackfoot, Boise, Caldwell, Eagle, Idaho Falls, Mountain Home, Pocatello and Spirit Lake – require runoff elections if no mayoral candidate receives more than 50% of the vote. Idaho Falls has a runoff requirement for city council, too. Combined, one-quarter of Idaho voters live in runoff communities.

Runoff elections are only required when no candidate earns a majority. In November, the winning mayors of Boise and Spirit Lake, both cleared this threshold and no runoff was needed. On the other hand, the cities of Mountain Home and Eagle held runoffs.

In the most recent November 7th general election, four nonpartisan candidates for Eagle mayor were on the ballot. Marc Degl’Innocenti and Stan Ridgeway were the bottom two candidates, receiving 7% and 27% of votes cast, respectively. Jason Pierce and Brad Pike were the top two with 36% and 31%, respectively. Because no candidate earned more than 50% of votes cast, a runoff was required. As a result, Marc and Stan were eliminated and the top two – Jason and Brad – opposed each other on December 5th. Unofficial results show that Brad won with 55% of the vote despite finishing second in November. About 70% of Marc’s and Stan’s voters preferred Brad in the second round.

The Mountain Home mayoral race was similar: four, nonpartisan candidates on the November ballot, but none earned the majority’s support. Thus, the top two, Rich Sykes and Misty Pierce, competed again in a runoff on December 5th. Preliminary results show that Rich won with 58% and earned about two-thirds of votes from the eliminated candidates.

The Open Primaries Initiative is similar to a city runoff: four candidates on the general election ballot with the requirement that the winner have majority support. The Initiative applies to federal, state, and county races, leaving the current system unchanged for city elections.

With a city runoff, however, there is four weeks of delay, more election spending, more campaign materials stuffed into mailboxes, and yard signs everywhere. City runoff elections cost taxpayers, too. Ada and Elmore counties incurred incremental expenses to administer these races.

What if Eagle held an instant runoff? First, voters would have the option to mark down their choices, most preferred in first place, next best in second, and so on. The candidate with the fewest votes, Marc, would be eliminated just like a city runoff. The folks who selected Marc first, would have their votes reassigned to their second choice, as if it were a city runoff. The process repeats until there are two candidates and the one with the majority wins. (Go to our website, www.v4iv.org to try a sample instant runoff ballot).

“Runoff elections ensure we elect someone with the broadest community support,” says former state senator, Eagle resident and Veterans for Idaho Voters member, Marv Hagedorn. “Instant runoffs achieve the same but without the delay.”

The small group of Open Primaries Initiative opponents make irrational claims that the instant runoff system results in ballots being thrown away and violates “one person, one vote.” 3,312 Eagle voters and 534 Mountain Home voters had their first choice candidate eliminated, but still had a chance to express their second choice in the runoff election. Were their ballots “thrown away” or did this runoff violate our Constitution’s sacred “one person, one vote” principle? Of course not. What it does is give voters more say in who they want to represent them.

Both Eagle and Mountain Home mayoral races give us a glimpse into Idaho elections under the Open Primaries Initiative: more candidate competition and candidates working harder to earn the majority’s trust. Unlike city runoff elections, however, the Open Primaries Initiative will ensure we receive the results without delay, give candidates a fair shot, and save taxpayers money.

Written by: Todd Achilles (Boise) Army veteran, Thom Bruce (Boise) Marine Corps veteran, John French (Ketchum) Marine Corps veteran, Barry Johnson (Moscow) Army veteran, Dave Looney (McCall) Air Force veteran, James Ruchti (Pocatello) Army veteran, Kevin Trainor (Twin Falls) Marine Corps veteran, Christie Wood (Coeur d’Alene) Air Force veteran, Randy Worrall (Ashton) Air Force veteran.

Episode 94: Boise State’s capital campaign … and more

Kevin Richert — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 17:04:53 +0000

In October, Boise State University unveiled “Unbridled,” its most ambitious fundraising campaign to date.

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.

Idaho Education News · Episode 94

Charter commission approves undisclosed offer for unnamed director candidate

Ryan Suppe — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 02:11:47 +0000

The Idaho Public Charter School Commission on Thursday approved an offer for a new director. But commissioners concealed the identity of their preferred candidate, and didn’t publicly approve the details of the offer.

Commissioners on Thursday interviewed three candidates for the troubled position, which has had two resignations this year. After the closed-door interviews and a roughly 30-minute private discussion, the commissioners publicly voted to offer the job to “candidate 913.”

They did not approve the terms of the offer, including compensation, during the open portion of the meeting.

In a small room in the Statehouse annex, where the commission has been holding its meetings of late, Chairman Alan Reed told Idaho Education News that the commission won’t reveal the identity of its preferred candidate until an offer is accepted.

“We need to make sure that there’s an offer accepted because, if not, we may have to look to the next candidate,” he said. “We want to…be respectful to them and to the others that we may need to come back to.”

The three candidates are Monica Church, Michelle Dunstan and Jacob Smith.

Church is the executive director of the Frank Church Institute at Boise State University. Dunstan is a former education director at Anser Charter School in Boise. Smith is the charter commission’s finance program manager, who previously served as the director of operations for Idaho Digital Learning Alliance.

“The top three candidates are all shining examples of what is available in the state of Idaho,” Commissioner Wally Hedrick said during Thursday’s meeting. “I was very pleased with that.”

The commission initially concealed the names of the finalists and refused to reveal their professional backgrounds.

Idaho law allows public boards to meet privately when discussing hiring. The law also says that the professional background of a state employee is public record, and there’s “some loss of privacy when one accepts a position supported by public money.”

After Thursday’s interviews, Commissioner Pete Koehler moved to “make an offer to candidate 913 to see if they are willing to accept the position as director of the commission.” Fellow commissioners unanimously supported the motion.

The director is a state employee paid with taxpayer money. The commission is responsible for authorizing and overseeing charter schools across the state.

The position’s online job posting says it will collect between $108,000 and $118,500 annually. Commissioners said they hope the new director will start by Jan. 1.

Reed said he planned to extend the offer to “candidate 913” Thursday evening and an announcement will follow when it’s accepted.

Last month, the commission evaluated 16 candidates for the job before selecting three finalists. Alex Adams, Gov. Brad Little’s budget chief, has served as the commission’s interim director since August.

Previous director Nichole Hall resigned in favor of another job after just two months with the commission. Hall had replaced Jenn Thompson, who resigned in March alongside former commissioner Brian Scigliano. The pair accused the board of acting irresponsibly.

Analysis: The State Board will have to settle a messy higher ed turf battle

Kevin Richert — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 19:11:25 +0000

We start today with a wonky word.

Systemness.

The State Board of Education didn’t invent this word, to be fair. But the board uses systemness, a lot, as a shorthand description for what it wants to see in higher education. More collaboration. Limited duplication. A statewide network of two- and four-year colleges and universities that functions like a system — spending tax dollars efficiently, while offering students as many options as possible.

Fair warning: Expect to hear systemness at some point at next week’s State Board meeting. Maybe multiple times. That’s because two of Idaho’s two-year schools want to offer four-year degrees.

Nampa-based College of Western Idaho wants to add a bachelor of applied science, or BAS, degree in business administration. Across the state, in Idaho Falls, the College of Eastern Idaho is looking at a BAS in operations management.

College of Western Idaho President Gordon Jones

There is a precedent; the Twin Falls-based College of Southern Idaho already offers an operations management degree. As CWI President Gordon Jones likes to point out, state law has long given Idaho’s community colleges the authority to pursue four-year programs.

But the State Board has to sign on.

Whatever the State Board does, it’s going to make someone unhappy. Either the two-year schools or the four-year schools are liable to walk away disappointed.

Jones and CWI’s board of trustees are all-in on their business administration proposal. Since the program would offer a four-year degree at community college prices — and allow students to put career-technical credits toward a baccalaureate — CWI believes it can serve students who wouldn’t be interested in a traditional business program.

“It’s just creating more access and opportunity for students,” board Chair Molly Lenty said last month, after trustees passed a resolution endorsing the bachelor’s program.

The four-year schools are opposed — which is no surprise, they already offer bachelor’s degrees in business administration. Boise State University is particularly salty. In their official comments on the proposal, submitted to the State Board, Boise State officials accuse CWI of going it alone and refusing to collaborate, and even work in a jab over CWI’s low graduation rates. And Boise State says CWI is simply trying to duplicate existing programs.

“The assertion that ‘CWI is poised to reach a market that is underserved by four-year institutions’ is inaccurate, unsupported and frankly outright misleading,” Boise State writes.

Well, that doesn’t sound very systemness-y.

This all puts the State Board in a position it cannot possibly relish. Whether they want to or not, board members will be forced to pick sides.

Relatively speaking, these board members have probably had it easier than their predecessors. It wasn’t that long ago when higher ed turf wars were commonplace — with college and university presidents egged on by parochial legislators. These days, the presidents of Idaho’s four four-year schools routinely appear together before lawmakers, stressing their solidarity and touting their partnerships with the state’s community colleges.

So the public battle over bachelor’s degrees is an outlier. But not necessarily a one-off.

Last month, Jones hinted that CWI might augment its business administration bachelor’s degree with similar degrees in other high-demand fields: education and health care. If those proposals come down the pike, the State Board could again find itself playing referee.

Lewis-Clark State College President Cynthia Pemberton

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Lewis-Clark State College President Cynthia Pemberton

When the State Board met at Lewis-Clark State College in October, President Cynthia Pemberton read off the list of changes in Idaho higher ed: the community colleges’ proposed bachelor’s offerings; the University of Idaho’s proposed University of Phoenix acquisition; Brigham Young University-Idaho’s plans to offer three-year bachelor’s degrees. All of this comes at a time when high school enrollment is declining in Lewis-Clark’s backyard, foreshadowing a demographic cliff that is going to affect all colleges and universities in the next few years.

“The higher education context and landscape is complicated and challenging,” she said.

And Pemberton didn’t bring up yet another change: Idaho Launch. This year, high school seniors will have up to $8,000 they can use to continue their education — at a four-year school, a two-year school or in a career-technical or workforce training program.

It’s unclear where students will spend this year’s $75 million to $80 million; the state’s Workforce Development Council is still sorting data from the first application period, which closed last week, executive director Wendi Secrist said Wednesday. But it’s clear there will be some competition for a share of the money from Launch — and competition to provide the courses and programs that meet the goal of preparing young adults for in-demand careers.

More options for students is clearly a good thing.

But options can be messy for the policymakers who are trying to stretch dollars and avoid redundancy.

The lines between two-year schools and four-year schools are blurry already. For example, high school students can apply their dual-credit classes — funded by taxpayers through the state’s Advanced Opportunities program — for a two-year associate’s degree at Boise State. By the same token, it’s probably inevitable that the two-year schools would look to move into the bailiwick of four-year degrees.

Next week’s State Board meeting will provide a little better idea of what systemness looks like.

Kevin Richert writes a weekly analysis on education policy and education politics. Look for his stories each Thursday.

Fall reading scores show steady improvement — but 38,000 kids are still behind

Carly Flandro — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 23:50:37 +0000

About 58% — or nearly 52,000 — of Idaho’s K-3 students are reading at grade level, according to results from a statewide fall reading exam.

It’s a slight improvement from last fall when about 57% were reading at grade level, continuing the trend of scores steadily increasing since the height of the pandemic.

On top of that, this year’s second and third-graders demonstrated major leaps in their reading ability since kindergarten (of about 18 and 19 percentage points respectively).

About the IRI The results from the fall Idaho Reading Indicator — which measures reading ability and progress — were released Wednesday.
—Each spring and fall, Idaho students in kindergarten through third grade take the IRI as required by Idaho Code.
—This assessment helps Idaho educators better understand the needs of early learners in the areas of phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension.
—Fall results are used to identify students who may need additional instruction and interventions to support their learning throughout the school year.

The progress comes amid multi-million dollar investments in early literacy, a rise in all-day kindergarten, and in efforts to embrace the science of reading. Gov. Brad Little has championed early literacy from the time he took office in 2019, and since then $169 million in taxpayer dollars have been directed to help young readers.

But there’s a flip-side to the data: Nearly 38,000, or 42%, of K-3 students are behind when it comes to reading.

Second and third graders still haven’t caught up to pre-pandemic reading scores.

And 38% of third-graders, or nearly 9,000, are behind.

That number matters because by third grade, all students should be reading at grade level — as has been a longtime State Board of Education goal. Recently, Board President Linda Clark penned a column establishing K-3 literacy as a major priority.

“Numerous studies show that unless these students are reading at grade level by the third grade, they almost never catch up,” Clark wrote. “This puts those students at greater risk of not graduating or pursuing postsecondary education or training.”

But kindergarteners are “arriving to the classroom with increasing levels of proficiency,” Ryan Cantrell, Idaho’s chief deputy superintendent, said, calling attention to bright spots in the data in a Wednesday press release.

“We’re (also) seeing consistent improvements as those students move through their first three years of instruction,” Cantrell said. “This tells us that the instruction Idaho teachers are delivering is working, and that kids are retaining more of what they learn over the summer.”

Standardized tests in Idaho make quite the alphabet soup: There’s ISAT, IRI, AP, SAT, PSAT and NAEP exams.
Check out our explanatory guide to help make sense of it all.

He also touted that Idaho “students are outperforming national averages in early literacy.” The Idaho Department of Education made the same claim about its spring IRI results — which EdNews fact checked and found was questionable at best, due to faulty comparisons.

For a more detailed look at the fall reading scores statewide, and their implications, read on.

Since the pandemic, fall reading scores have been mixed

As a whole, K-3 students statewide have been steadily improving their reading scores since the height of the pandemic.

	Fall 2019	Fall 2020	Fall 2021	Fall 2022	Fall 2023
K-3	55	49.6	51	56.7	57.9

“This steady increase in proficiency indicates that Idaho’s investment in delivering rigorous, high-quality early literacy instruction is helping students learn,” Cantrell said.

Kindergarteners and first graders have made the biggest leaps in reading ability since 2019, improving from 43% and 49% reading at grade level at the start of the school year, to 53% and 57%, respectively. (Keep in mind that this is a new group of students each year, not the same group improving over time).

	Fall 2019	Fall 2023
Kinder	43	53.2
1st	49	57

But second and third-graders still haven’t caught up to pre-pandemic reading levels.

	Fall 2019	Fall 2023
2nd	63	58.4
3rd	64	62.1

Two student cohorts’ reading scores have shot up since kindergarten

On the other hand, tracking this year’s second and third-graders’ reading scores over the years shows notable academic growth from one school year to the next — even though both cohorts started school when pandemic-era policies, like hybrid or remote learning, may have been in place.

This year’s third-graders, for example, have improved reading scores by nearly 19 percentage points from kindergarten, when less than half were reading at grade level.

	Fall 2020	Fall 2021	Fall 2022	Fall 2023
Kinder	43.5	40.8	51.7	53.2
1st	41.7	46	55.4	57
2nd	54.3	57.3	58.9	58.4
3rd	58.2	59.3	60.4	62.1

This year’s second graders have shown similar gains, improving their reading scores by about 18 percentage points since kindergarten.

	Fall 2020	Fall 2021	Fall 2022	Fall 2023
Kinder	43.5	40.8	51.7	53.2
1st	41.7	46	55.4	57
2nd	54.3	57.3	58.9	58.4
3rd	58.2	59.3	60.4	62.1

Data shows overall growth, with summer declines

Another way to parse the data is by bringing in spring scores (students take the IRI twice a year). Those comparisons offer insight into growth over the school year, and potential learning loss over the summer.

This year’s third graders, for example, have improved from fall to spring each year, but declined over the summer.

	Fall 2021	Spring 2021	Fall 2022	Spring 2022	Fall 2023
Kinder	40.8	61.3	51.7	64.8	53.2
1st	46	59.5	55.4	63.8	57
2nd	57.3	69.2	58.9	72.4	58.4
3rd	59.3	70.1	60.4	71.7	62.1

It’s a two-steps forward, one-step back pattern that’s common, and holds true for this year’s second graders as well:

	Fall 2021	Spring 2021	Fall 2022	Spring 2022	Fall 2023
Kinder	40.8	61.3	51.7	64.8	53.2
1st	46	59.5	55.4	63.8	57
2nd	57.3	69.2	58.9	72.4	58.4
3rd	59.3	70.1	60.4	71.7	62.1

Follow EdNews in coming days for more follow-ups on the IRI results, include results at the district and school level.

Further reading on spring IRI results:

Idaho Education News data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report.

Spelling it Out: Standardized Tests

Carly Flandro — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 23:50:13 +0000

Spelling it Out: Standardized Tests

Standardized tests in Idaho make quite the alphabet soup: There’s ISAT, IRI, AP, SAT, PSAT and NAEP exams.

This guide will help you wade through:

What they mean for students and stakeholders
Who takes them
What they measure
And how much they cost taxpayers

Once you’ve got a grip on the basics, check out EdNews’ Report Card and the State Department’s student achievement website for the latest on scores and results.

ISAT

Full name	Idaho Standards Achievement Test
Who designs/writes it:	SmarterBalanced Assessments
Who pays for it and what does it cost?	Idaho taxpayers; about $6.8 million
Who takes it and when?	ELA and math portions: Students in grades 3-8, once in high school Science portion: Students in grades 5 and 8, once in high school Optional interim assessments can be given throughout the year; the required test is taken each spring.
What does it measure?	Proficiency in ELA, math, and science
What do the scores/results look like?	Students fall into one of four categories for each content area: below basic, basic, proficient, and advanced. Ideally, students will be proficient or advanced. The results by state, district, and school are usually reported in percentages — what percent of students scored proficient or advanced.
Does the state set benchmarks/goals?	Yes. Benchmarks are set in the State Board’s strategic plan every five years.
How do the scores affect students?	These scores do not affect a student’s report card or ability to move on to the next level. According to the State Department of Education, “we primarily use these scores to help families, schools, districts, and the state understand and improve academic achievement in Idaho.”

IRI

Full name	Idaho Reading Indicator
Who designs/writes it?	Istation
Who pays for it and what does it cost?	Idaho taxpayers; in 2023, the cost was $483,000.
Who takes it and when?	Students in grades K-3, every fall and spring
What does it measure?	Reading, literacy
What do the scores/results look like?	The test determines whether students are at, near, or below grade level. At the district and school level, scores are often reported in percentages — what percent of students are reading at grade level.
Does the state set benchmarks/goals?	Yes. Benchmarks are set in the State Board’s strategic plan every five years.
How do the scores affect students?	Teachers use the scores to provide “necessary interventions to sustain or improve a student’s reading skills,” according to the SDE.

SAT

Full name	The acronym originally stood for “Scholastic Aptitude Test” before becoming the “Scholastic Assessment Test.” Today, the acronym does not stand for anything. SAT is the full name of the exam.
Who designs/writes it?	College Board
Who pays for it and what does it cost?	Idaho taxpayers; in 2023 the cost was $1.2 million
Who takes it and when?	Most students take the SAT during the spring of their junior year. The test can be retaken as many times as a student would like, but students must pay out-of-pocket for retakes.
What does it measure?	A student’s college readiness. It consists of four sections: reading, writing and language, math without a calculator, and math with a calculator.
What do the scores/results look like?	The maximum possible score on the SAT is 1600. In 2019, the national average SAT score was 1050, according to the College Board. “Any score above that would be … perfectly acceptable for many colleges. A score of 1350 would put you in the top 10% of test takers and help make your application competitive at more selective schools.”
Does the state set benchmarks/goals?	Yes. Benchmarks are set in the State Board’s strategic plan every five years.
How do the scores affect students?	According to the SDE, “Students are not required to participate in a college entrance exam (CEE), and a CEE is no longer required for graduation. Districts and charter schools may locally establish a CEE requirement to enforce participation at their discretion.” However, all districts and charters are required to offer students the opportunity to take the SAT, and are expected to encourage students to participate. While many universities have stopped requiring SAT or ACT scores for admission, high scores on college entrance exams can help make a student’s application for scholarships or college admission more competitive.

PSAT/NMSQT

Full name	Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test
Who designs/writes it?	College Board
Who pays for it and what does it cost?	Idaho taxpayers; in 2023 the cost was $260K.
Who takes it and when?	10th graders. Districts may choose to offer this exam, but are not required to do so.
What does it measure?	This test is considered practice for the SAT, and has the same sections.
What do the scores/results look like?	The highest total score you can achieve on the PSAT 10 or PSAT/NMSQT is 1520.
Does the state set benchmarks/goals?	No
How do the scores affect students?	This is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship program. Top performing students can qualify for scholarship and recognition from this prestigious award program. Otherwise, the test can help a student gauge their achievement levels and practice for the SAT.

AP

Full name	Advanced Placement
Who designs/writes it?	College Board
Who pays for it and what does it cost?	Idaho taxpayers; in 2023, the cost was $1.2 million
Who takes it and when?	Generally, students in grades 10-12 take these exams, and usually during the year that they took the course aligned with the exam. However, students can take the exams without enrolling in or finishing the correlating class.
What does it measure?	AP exams measure college readiness in the given content area (statistics, chemistry, English literature, etc.)
What do the scores/results look like?	Exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5. Many U.S. colleges grant credit (or let you skip the equivalent courses once you get to college) for scores of 3 and above.
Does the state set benchmarks/goals?	The only benchmark is that high school graduates are supposed to complete one or more advanced opportunities. That means they should each have earned dual credits, passed an AP exam, or earned an International Baccalaureate.
How do the scores affect students?	If students pass an AP exam, they’ll likely earn college credits.

NAEP

Full name	The National Assessment of Educational Progress, and also called The Nation’s Report Card
Who designs/writes it?	The National Center for Education Statistics, the primary statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Education.
Who pays for it and what does it cost?	NCES pays for it; cost is unclear.
Who takes it and when?	A nationally representative sample of students in grades 4, 8, and 12. In 2022, approximately 450,000 students from more than 10,000 schools across the country participated in the assessment. In Idaho, about 7,000 students took the exam.
What does it measure?	It assesses knowledge in an array of content areas, including civics, economics, geography, math, music and visual arts, reading science, technology and engineering literacy, U.S. history, and writing.
What do the scores/results look like?	Results are reported as scores and as percentages of students reaching NAEP achievement levels: basic, proficient, and advanced.
Does the state set benchmarks/goals?	No
How do the scores affect students?	NAEP is considered the gold standard of large-scale assessments and has been a common measure of student achievement since 1969. According to NCES: Policymakers, researchers, and educators use NAEP results to inform educational improvements across the nation. Parents, media, and the general public use NAEP results to monitor educational progress in their communities and compare performance with other regions of the country. NAEP also provides states with a benchmark to target important efforts that raise the bar for student achievement and ensure that students have equal opportunities to succeed.

Idaho EdNews data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report.

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Empower Idaho’s students through enhanced educational freedom

Cooper Conway — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 21:48:57 +0000

This year educational freedom swept across the United States, with over 15 states establishing or expanding access to private educational choice programs such as Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). With access to publicly funded scholarship accounts, more American families have been able to opt out of the traditional public education system and employ the funds for various private educational expenses, including special needs therapies, tutoring, and private school tuition. It’s time Idaho joined the movement.

Choice and educational freedom are not a foreign concept in Idaho. In 2022, the conservative Heritage Foundation recognized the state as a top-five state in its Education Freedom Report Card. Particularly, Idaho’s commitment to its robust public education choice program stands out as Idaho’s Open Enrollment law is widely considered one of the best in the country, allowing students and families to access public schools within or outside of their assigned district if there is available capacity.

Yet Idaho lags behind other states when it comes to private education options. Without any kind of private school choice programs, the state restricts families without the financial means for private education to attend government schools. In the forthcoming 2024 legislative session, Idaho’s policymakers should seize the opportunity to expand educational freedom by granting every family in the state access to an Education Savings Account so they can access more educational options.

Currently, Idahoan students perform well academically compared to many other states, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. However, there is plenty of room for improvement as only around a third of both fourth and eighth grades were proficient in reading and math in 2022. ESAs can help improve these numbers by placing educational funding in the hands of those who know the students best: their parents. The evidence is clear, too; when families are allowed to customize their child’s education to align with their unique needs, education attainment and test scores improve, as nearly every study done on the impact of private education choice shows positive results.

For instance, rural families often lack access to courses and extracurricular offerings compared to their peers who live in more populated areas. ESAs could help families afford broadband costs for innovative online courses and curricula that local public schools may not have.

It may seem counterintuitive, but increasing access to a broader spectrum of educational offerings actually benefits students who stay in traditional public schools. 26 out of the 29 studies examining the impact of implementing a private school choice program on public school student test scores have demonstrated positive effects. It only makes sense that this would be the case as the competitive dynamics of school choice incentivize public schools to enhance their offerings to retain students and the associated funding.

By embracing private school choice, Idaho can improve the quality of public schools through more rigorous market competition and benefit thousands of students who deserve the advantages of a customizable K-12 education system. 2024 represents a crucial juncture for Idaho. If Idahoans can sway the policymakers who represent them by raising their voices in support of establishing an ESA program, it can bring positive change by recognizing the inherent dignity of every Idahoan student, benefiting them and the state for years to come.

Magic Valley superintendent receives buyout after disagreement with trustees

Ryan Suppe — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 19:56:56 +0000

The superintendent of a small Magic Valley school district will receive nearly $100,000 after she resigned last week following a disagreement with the board of trustees.

Former Valley School District superintendent Jennifer Jacobson “agreed to terminate” her employment “due to a disagreement with the school board over interpretation of applicable law,” according to a separation agreement and Jacobson’s resignation letter, which Idaho Education News obtained through a public records request.

Trustees agreed to pay Jacobson’s salary and benefits through the end of the school year. Jacobson, who had a two-year contract through 2025, will receive a lump sum payment that includes seven months’ salary and cash for the value of health benefits, the agreement said.

It’s unclear what the legal disagreement between Jacobson and the trustees was about. School board Chairman Jim Ritchie, Jr., declined to explain, saying he couldn’t discuss a personnel issue.

“She’s a capable person, and it’s unfortunate that we parted company,” Ritchie said. “Sometimes, things just aren’t a perfect fit.”

Agreement spells out separation payment

Jacobson, who previously served as a principal in the nearby Filer School District, resigned on Nov. 28, and her last day was Friday, according to the agreement.

Former Valley School District Superintendent Jennifer Jacobson. Filer School District

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Former Valley School District Superintendent Jennifer Jacobson. Filer School District

The district will pay her $98,937, which “she would have received had she not resigned,” the agreement said. That includes $58,333 for seven months’ salary and $2,917 for supplemental salary owed as well as $14,391 for the value of health benefits.

The payment also includes a “lump sum consideration” of $23,295 “to offset lost retirement benefits and the adverse tax consequences of the lump sum payment.”

Ritchie noted that Jacobson had another full school year on her contract, and the agreement pays her for the remaining school year, through June 30. He said the school district’s attorney told trustees that this situation isn’t uncommon.

“We had no reason to terminate her, no reason to put her on leave or anything like that,” Ritchie said. “But once two parties decide something’s not working, what’s the point in continuing?”

In 2021, the latest available data, Valley School District spent about $6 million in total expenditures, according to Transparent Idaho, the state’s online public spending database. The district serves 500 K-12 students in a rural area east of Twin Falls.

Ricthie said the school board hasn’t yet decided how it’ll move forward but will likely appoint an interim superintendent before conducting a candidate search.

Trustee reelected after initial results voided

In other Valley School District news, a Tuesday special election for an open trustee seat has reversed prior results that a judge tossed.

Ahead of the Nov. 7 election, two district voters in the same home were mailed incorrect ballots, the Twin Falls Times-News reported. Challenger Michael Lakey defeated incumbent trustee Matthew Kimmel by a single vote, but a judge voided the results after the mistake was discovered.

On Tuesday, voters went back to the polls, and unofficial results from Jerome County show Kimmel won the special election by three votes.

Federal complaint: Idaho’s special education manual is out of compliance

Darren Svan — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 23:58:23 +0000

The Idaho Department of Education said Tuesday that Idaho’s criteria for special education eligibility needs revision in order to comply with federal law.

That news came as no surprise to Decoding Dyslexia Idaho and education advocate Ashley Brittain, an attorney with The Brittain Group, who filed the federal complaint, after years of repeated attempts to convince the Sherri Ybarra administration that Idaho was out of compliance. Ybarra served eight years as Idaho’s Superintendent of Public Instruction.

“It’s unfortunate that Debbie Critchfield inherited this because we started this fight in 2018 under the previous superintendent,” said Robin Sikmund, founder of Decoding Dyslexia Idaho.

Idaho’s criteria for providing students with specific learning disability (SLD) services represent “a higher bar” than what is allowed by federal law, according to a letter from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

“Idaho has been incorrectly identifying” thousands of children under the category of SLD, according to an email from The Brittain Group to state officials.

Sikmund said students with learning disabilities — like dyslexia or dysgraphia – were repeatedly denied services for years. As an advocate for parents, she attended countless Individualized Education Program eligibility meetings across the state in several school districts. IEPs outline special education instruction and services.

If parents and their advocates “pushed back” hard after being denied SLD services, Sikmund said, a district would place the student in the other health impairment (OHI) category, which does not guarantee the same services. Dyslexia falls under the SLD category.

“Even our qualifying category numbers alone should have been a red flag to most. Idaho’s largest qualifying category is OHI. Whereas in most states, SLD is the most common qualifying category. This makes sense, considering dyslexia affects one-in-five children,” she said.

The Department of Education will begin work on revising the state’s Special Education Manual following the OSEP’s inquiry, a press release states.

In an Oct. 20 letter, OSEP directed the state to examine portions of the manual that address what is required for students to receive special education services for SLD.

The OSEP outlined five required steps to be completed in 90 days. Among OSEP’s requirements is “review and revise” eligibility criteria for identifying a child with an SLD under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. A notification of policy revisions must be issued to all public agencies, local education agencies, parent advocacy groups, the state advisory panel and other interested parties advising them of the state’s revised eligibility criteria.

Sikmund said, “It’s a game changer. These kids are going to finally have a chance at getting effective small group instruction that they need. Without them qualifying, those students fall through the cracks, further and further behind.”

When the manual is eventually revised, “massive” training is needed statewide, Sikmund said. “All of the special education supervisors, and therefore their schools, have been trained to follow criteria that is not in compliance with federal law. They have to be re-trained.”

The Department of Education will convene a working group that will meet Dec. 19 at 8 a.m. at the Department of Education’s Barbara Morgan Conference Room. Those interested in providing input for the group can submit comments to SpEdPublicInput@sde.idaho.gov.

“It’s unfortunate for the thousands of kids that attempted to seek support and services … that were turned away,” Brittain said in the email.

U of I demands $2,400 to review — and perhaps release — Phoenix public records

Kevin Richert — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 18:52:10 +0000

(UPDATED, 5:36 p.m. Thursday, with a correction regarding the name change of a Boise State University public record.)

It’s a straightforward request.

Idaho Education News wants emails, texts and other public records containing the words “Project Neptune:” the code phrase for the University of Idaho’s proposed University of Phoenix purchase.

But straightforward does not mean inexpensive. The U of I wants to charge EdNews nearly $2,400 before it will release the “Project Neptune” paper trail.

“The university will not expend the time and resources necessary to identify, gather, and review responsive records at the risk of taxpayer funds; consequently, you will be required to deliver advance payment in certified funds in the amount of $2,370.95, before the university commences this process,” Karl Klein, a senior associate general counsel for the U of I, said in an email to Idaho EdNews Friday.

Idaho’s law reads as follows: “There is a presumption that all public records in Idaho are open at all reasonable times for inspection.” The law requires agencies to cover up to two hours of staff time to process records requests. Agencies can bill to cover additional costs — but they are not required to do so.

The U of I, Idaho’s land-grant institution, is one of the largest public agencies in the state. Its 2023-24 budget of $189.6 million comes largely from state tax dollars and student tuition and fees.

What we know about ‘Project Neptune’

First off, it doesn’t look like the U of I coined “Project Neptune.”

Phoenix — a massive for-profit online school serving some 85,000 students — used “Neptune” as a code name as it quietly explored a possible sale to the University of Arkansas, the Arkansas Times reported in February.

In February, the U of I began looking at a Phoenix purchase — and soon latched onto the phrase preferred by the publicity-averse private university.

U of I legal counsel Kent Nelson and vice president of finance and administration Brian Foisy use the phrase in early March emails, obtained by EdNews through a previous public records request. So does State Board member Bill Gilbert. And so do officials from Tyton Partners, the New York-based financial advisers Phoenix hired to work on a sale.

Those emails prompted a followup public records request.

EdNews’ records request

On Nov. 15, EdNews requested “any emails, text messages or internal or external documents containing the phrase ‘Project Neptune,’” from Jan. 1 through June 30. The request focused on the U of I’s upper management: President C. Scott Green’s office; Provost Torrey Lawrence’s office; Nelson’s office of general counsel; and Foisy’s division of finance and administration. (EdNews limited a previous records request to these four offices, at the U of I’s suggestion, in order to focus the scope of that previous request. The U of I fulfilled this previous request free of charge.)

On Friday — the U of I’s deadline to respond to the Nov. 15 request — the university delivered only an email and an invoice.

In his email, Klein did say the university had identified at least 4,000 documents that might fall within EdNews’ request, including 2,073 emails. He said the U of I would first need to review each email before then reviewing other documents, such as attachments to the emails.

The U of I says attorneys would need to spend 35 hours reviewing these documents — at labor costs of $64.29 an hour — before releasing the records. The lawyers’ fees account for the bulk of the U of I’s bill.

And Klein said “many, if not most” of the records would be exempt from release anyway — falling under attorney-client privilege and/or trade secrets and proprietary information. Since spring, most of the State Board and U of I discussions with Phoenix have remained cloaked in secrecy, because Phoenix insisted that the public entities enter into non-disclosure agreements. These agreements remain intact.

Public records issues at Boise State

The U of I’s records response comes two days after BoiseDev broke an explosive story about public records issues at Boise State University.

Don Day’s Nov. 29 article outlined a series of allegations Boise State associate vice president Nicole Nimmons leveled in a court deposition. Nimmons said the university renamed a Google Drive document titled “Big City Coffee,” the name of a coffee shop suing Boise State. The document was renamed “B C C,” which means it wouldn’t turn up in a public records search for “Big City Coffee.” (According to Day’s report, Nimmons said the change was made by Lauren Griswold, Boise State’s chief communications and marketing officer. Griswold is a member of Boise State President Marlene Tromp’s executive team, and at $264,160 per year, is one of the university’s highest-paid employees.)

Nimmons also said university officials were instructed to keep some politically sensitive topics out of public records, Day reported.

Day’s article also outlined several public records disputes between BoiseDev and Boise State. He cited EdNews’ records disputes with Boise State — including the university’s short-lived attempt to bill EdNews more than $700 for emails mentioning controversial political science professor Scott Yenor.

In an EdNews interview Monday, Tromp answered questions about the BoiseDev report — and the university’s approach to public records requests.

“There’s not an effort to direct people to be surreptitious,” Tromp said during the taping of an EdNews podcast interview.

Tromp declined to talk in detail about the Big City Coffee records, citing the shop’s ongoing lawsuit against Boise State. She didn’t directly say whether she has spoken to her staff about BoiseDev’s report, but says she has talked to staff “on many occasions” about how the university responds to records requests.

Tromp noted that she assigned a staff member to field records requests in a consistent and timely manner. “It (isn’t) just some add on to somebody’s job.”

But Tromp also said she expects employees to be careful about what they put in an email.

“To tell people to be judicious. I think, is totally appropriate,” she said.

Coming Friday: In the next Kevin Richert Podcast, Tromp and Boise State senior officials discuss an ambitious capital campaign, enrollment, Statehouse politics and public records.

Further reading: Do you have questions about the proposed Phoenix purchase? Get answers here.

Bedke codes with kids for Computer Science Education Week

Ryan Suppe — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 01:03:39 +0000

Despite being a cowboy, Idaho Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke regularly uses computer programming, he told a group of second graders Monday. Coding in Microsoft Excel calculates the value of his cattle long before they’re sold.

“Every job that you kids go into is going to have a programming or computer science component to it,” Bedke said. “So what you’re doing here is really going to make a difference down the road.”

A kindergarten student at Whittier Elementary in Boise completes a computer programming exercise during an Hour of Code event on Dec. 4, 2023. Darren Svan/Idaho Education News

The Republican former House Speaker visited Whittier Elementary in Boise as part of Hour of Code, an annual event meant to inspire students to learn computer programming.

Whittier second graders, kindergarteners and Bedke completed a basic computer programming exercise, from Code.org, with help from coding experts and officials from the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance and Idaho STEM Action Center. The exercise involved logically arranging commands to move around characters from Star Wars and the popular video game Minecraft.

Bedke delivered a proclamation from Idaho Gov. Brad Little that Dec. 4 to Dec. 10 is Computer Science Education Week. The proclamation says that computer science careers are in high demand, and students deserve a thorough computer science education with access to qualified teachers, technology and curriculum.

“It basically says what you’re doing right now is really good, and we’re proud of you,” Bedke told the 7 and 8 year olds after reading the proclamation. “The economy needs kids like you to learn all you can about computer science, because that’s where the jobs are when you get to be older.”

Idaho Rep. Soñia Galaviz, D-Boise, a longtime teacher at Whittier, said Monday’s event isn’t an anomaly at the school. Computer programming is a priority that’s taught throughout the year.

“We know when we start early – kindergarten, second grade – the landscape of their opportunity changes for them once they go to junior high and they’re taking advanced computer science courses or advanced science courses,” Galaviz said. “So the spark happens here.”

Idaho Digital Learning Alliance Superintendent Jeff Simmons works with a Whittier Elementary student on a computer programming exercise during an Hour of Code event on Dec. 4, 2023. Darren Svan/Idaho Education News

Idaho must conduct adequacy study as part of public school funding modernization

Matt Compton — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 22:29:59 +0000

One thing all education stakeholders will tell you is the current public school funding formula does not provide equitable opportunities for all students.

It is time for the committee exploring the modernization of the funding formula under the guidance of Debbie Critchfield, Idaho’s state superintendent, and co-chaired by Rep. Wendy Horman (R-Idaho Falls) and Sen. Lori Den Hartog (R-Meridian), to take a proactive step toward reforming our antiquated school funding system by initiating an adequacy study. This study is the key to unlocking a more just, efficient, and effective education system for future generations.

In the decade I have worked in the education policy space, many policymakers have sought to address Idaho’s school funding formula. Governors and legislators have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars hiring consultants and gathering feedback from stakeholders. But consensus has alluded education policymakers and stakeholders because in every iteration of a potential new funding formula model has winners and losers in future funding outcomes that made the politics of the change unworkable.

Idaho Education Association members have long advocated for an adequacy study of public school funding that takes a clear-eyed look at our education system and makes a true assessment of the actual cost of providing every student with a quality education. Such a study should examine factors such as class size, teacher qualifications, technology access and support services directly impacting a student’s learning experience.

Conducting such a study would not only give us an unvarnished look at the current and future needs of public schools, it would also point out where our current funding strategies are missing the mark.

Today, Idaho’s funding formula, which relies much too heavily on local bond and levy measures for fundamental operating expenses, often exacerbates disparities and leaves disadvantaged schools with insufficient resources. An adequacy study would highlight these disparities and provide a roadmap for allocating resources in a manner that narrows the student achievement gap.

Such a shift would increase student performance without question. Study after study shows that adequate resources correlate with better student outcomes. By understanding the specific needs of different schools and districts, we can tailor our investments to maximize academic success and promote student growth.

A new formula should also demand better accountability and transparency. By identifying what resources are necessary for quality education, we can minimize waste while guaranteeing that every dollar spent contributes to positive educational outcomes.

Recent investments in educator pay have gone a long way to improve educator retention rates in Idaho schools, but we need to know what long-term strategies can be implemented to prevent future teacher shortages. Adequate funding allows for competitive salaries, professional development opportunities and a supportive teaching environment, which in turn benefits students across the board.

While the benefits of an adequacy study are undeniable, there might be some hesitance from certain quarters to embrace this change. Conducting an adequacy study requires an upfront investment and the political will to define what is undoubtedly one of the State of Idaho’s biggest challenges. Some might fear the financial burden, but it is important to remember that the long-term gains in a better-educated populace far outweigh the initial costs. Risk adverse policymakers might be more comfortable with the status quo, but there’s no denying an adequacy study will provide a data-driven approach that minimizes subjective biases and focuses on the needs of students.

An adequacy study is not just an expenditure; it is an investment in our children’s future and the future of our society. By exploring changes to the public school funding formula through an adequacy study, we demonstrate our commitment to equitable education and the holistic development of every child. It is time to reshape our education system, ensuring that every student has access to the tools they need to succeed.

Idaho groups aims to understand, address youth mental health issues

Katie McGuire — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 21:39:24 +0000

Imagine a swarm of high schoolers in Boise walking in a crowded hall. Four out of every 10 of those students struggled with moderate to severe depressive symptoms in 2022, according to a student wellness survey conducted in the Boise School District.

The U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has called the youth mental health crisis an “epidemic of loneliness and isolation.”

“We don’t have to be overwhelmed by this crisis. We can just start working on it,” said Communities for Youth director Megan Smith.

Communities for Youth is an Idaho group aiming to understand, address and prevent youth mental health issues. Smith started Communities for Youth a few years ago after six years as a classroom teacher, where she wondered how to “build the best possible environments for young people.”

Organizers start first by “collecting youth voices” in the form of both surveys and student focus groups. Then, they bring that information to community members and work with them to create concrete action plans tailored to the needs of their youth.

For example, in one rural community, young people weren’t perceiving kindness at their school based on surveys and listening groups. Researchers explained the issue to community members and worked with them to develop an action plan. This led to a monthly event that “recentered the communities on kindness and brought the kids and the parents together” with a shared meal and activity. This was “developed totally by community members in that area,” Smith explained.

Deputy Director Matt Isbell added that the community directs the creation of action plans, and that “leveraging the strengths of our communities and letting them have voice and ownership over the work that’s getting done with the kids is really impactful.”

Communities for Youth organizers avow their dedication to involving youth in the process as much as possible by meeting with them in focus groups, asking them questions and searching to understand their experiences. Smith explained, “we’re really trying to draw out their voices as much as possible, and it’s beautiful to watch these young people over the course of [these] focus groups open up… because we just listen.”

Surveys also play a big role in understanding students. In 2022, survey results from Boise School District and other districts around the state showed high levels of social isolation and stress from teens. BSD workers studied these results and put in action plans to tackle challenges.

This year the survey was opt-in, pursuant to the Parent Choice legislation passed earlier this year, meaning every participant needed a signed form from a parent or guardian. Smith explained in part because of this adjustment, this year there were not enough participants to officially analyze and release survey results.

Despite this setback, Smith is optimistic about the future. “I think right now we are just in a transition phase where parents in Idaho…now have to be more active about [approving their students to take surveys]. So we’re going to transition and I do think we are going to get there next year.”

When it comes to schools and youth mental health, Smith says they can address and prevent problems of loneliness by “doing what they do best” and fostering social connection among students and trusted adults.

One school did this by bringing all faculty and staff into a room with every student’s name up on the wall. If one of the adults had an authentic relationship with the student, they signed under the name. “What became very clear was that some kids just didn’t have any connection at the school” Smith articulated. When adults committed to work on social connection in their building, depression and ideation rates decreased significantly the next year.

Currently, Communities for Youth is working on the “Boise Youth Mental Health Initiative” in partnership with the City of Boise and St. Luke’s. Based on student voices from the 2022 survey data and student focus groups, they are meeting with community members to create action plans to increase social connection in Boise and surrounding areas. Smith emphasized, “if we as a community come together around social connection, we will see a difference.”

Upcoming Boise Action Team meetings:

Tuesday, Dec. 12, at the Library! at Hillcrest, from 4:30-6 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 18, at the Library! at Hillcrest, from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

GOP lawmakers get no love back home

Chuck Malloy — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 20:55:11 +0000

One thing I learned from my five years at the Post Register in the 1980s was the love that people in Idaho Falls had for Republicans. Almost as much as the 4^th of July.

Republicans in Eastern Idaho revolved around a common theme: Elect more Republicans. Publicly going after incumbents, and especially those in high offices, was akin to booing Santa Claus, or cooking the Easter bunny for Thanksgiving dinner.

But the dynamics have changed with Dorothy Moon, who was elevated to the state chairmanship after losing her bid for secretary of state. The party now operates under the “Republican Party Platform Enforcement Rule,” which was approved last summer. Scores on the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s “Freedom Index” are indicators of whether legislators deserve to carry the Republican banner. So, the county and city (Idaho Falls) that have long loved Republicans, are “investigating” the votes by all three legislators from District 32 – Reps. Wendy Horman, Stephanie Mickelsen and Sen. Kevin Cook. Complaints also have been filed against the legislators of District 33: Reps. Barbara Ehardt, Marco Adam Erickson and Sen. Dave Lent.

Horman, who in her sixth term, has the highest profile of the group. She is co-chair of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, which finalizes the state budget. Not surprisingly, she gets low marks on the Freedom Index, along with the House speaker, the Senate president pro tem, among others.

“I think the implication is I’m not voting the way that four people want me to vote,” Horman told me during a recent visit to her Statehouse office. According to the Post Register, complaints against Horman including voting to consolidate the March presidential primary election with the May primary election date; voting to “restrict access of minors to sexual exhibitions” (such as drag shows); voting to appropriate funds to the joint medical education program with three other states; and voting for the higher education budget.

If the central committee is looking for a JFAC co-chair to vote against budgets, it isn’t going to happen – with Horman, or anyone else, sitting in the chair.

“JFAC is unusual,” she says. “There are 20 members and over 100 motions are proposed for budgets. There’s no way that one person can work all those budgets. So, you have to rely on each other to work as a team. This is a joint committee, and we work collaboratively. You have to rely on your colleagues and trust the work they are doing. I don’t get my way on every budget, even though I am the chair.”

She says there is no need for a special committee to look into her votes. All anybody needs to do is ask, “and I will be happy to answer questions,” she says. But the process outlined by the central committee does not have the appearance of a friendly conversation.

“That’s not what this is. This, in my opinion, is very totalitarian and very authoritarian, where a small group of people think they can tell an elected representative how to vote. It feels like blatant intimidation,” Horman says. “The first potential outcome is censure and guidance. Tell me that is not North Korean re-education. Tell me how that is not Nazi Germany.”

Doyle Beck, who chairs the Bonneville Republican Central Committee, told the Post Register that party officials should be able to hold their elected officials accountable. “My only comment is you committed to follow the platform and be judged by it. You committed to the integrity in affiliation rule. This is really about, ‘Was your vote proper or not proper?’ If it was not, you should come tell us about it.”

Who can blame the legislators for not participating in this circus? The process outlined by the committee has buzzwords, such as “investigation” and “disciplinary action,” as if the lawmakers are facing criminal indictments. Legislators, who are labeled as “the accused,” can have an attorney if they wish. All that’s missing is a smoke-filled room.

Call this process what it really is. A kangaroo court.

Attorneys general seek to block Idaho transgender bathroom law

Kevin Richert — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 20:41:26 +0000

Twenty-one attorneys general from across the nation are seeking to block Idaho’s school bathroom law.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both Democrats, are leading an effort to oppose the controversial Idaho law. Passed by the GOP-dominated 2023 Legislature, Idaho’s Senate Bill 1100 mandates that students use bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their “biological sex.”

The law remains mired in federal court. A U.S. Court of Appeals panel put the law on hold in late October.

Washington AG Bob Ferguson

“Allowing students to use bathrooms and changing rooms that correspond with their gender identity helps them feel accepted and does not pose a threat to anyone,” Ferguson said in a news release. “In Washington, where the rights of transgender students are protected, public schools report no instances of transgender students harassing others in bathrooms or locker rooms.”

The attorneys general filed a brief in federal court Thursday opposing the Idaho law. The coalition includes attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, D.C.

Laura Guido of the Idaho Press first reported on the brief Thursday.

Did new school facilities funding lower property taxes? It depends

Ryan Suppe — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 14:49:55 +0000

Idaho school districts are reaping the benefits of a new state fund that helps them pay down bonds and levies, and many property taxpayers are seeing decreases in their bills.

Earlier this year, Idaho lawmakers adopted a sweeping property tax relief package, House Bill 292. The legislation provided tax credits to homeowners and created a new fund for public school facilities.

Districts are getting around $106 million from the fund, with most of the money going toward bonds, according to a model analysis by the Legislative Services Office. The numbers will be finalized in the coming weeks.

Many property taxpayers have already seen the savings on their bills, which started going out last month. Median-value homeowners in the West Ada School District, for example, had more than $100 come off their property tax bills.

But the relief will look different across the state, depending on a particular school district’s financial situation. For instance, taxpayers in eastern Idaho’s Marsh Valley School District will be paying roughly the same as before, after voters approved a supplemental levy in August.

Lawmakers are closely watching how districts use the money, to ensure it’s fulfilling its intended purpose: lowering property taxes.

How much will taxpayers actually save?

It depends.

HB 292 required districts to apply the school district facilities funds in the following ways, in order of priority:

Pay off existing bonds
Pay off existing levies
Save for future facility construction
Secure and pay for a new facilities bond

The funds were distributed on a per-pupil basis using average daily attendance, meaning the largest districts got the biggest share. The school facilities fund is ongoing, meaning next year schools will receive a similar amount of money.

The West Ada School District, Idaho’s largest, is getting $14.5 million, and the Boise School District, the state’s second largest, collects $8.4 million. The median Idaho district – Melba – is receiving about $305,000, while the smallest districts should see less than $2,000.

Based on statewide bond and levy obligations – $386 million in total – about $82 million of the school facilities fund should pay off bonds and $22 million will decrease supplemental levies. That leaves about $2.3 million in savings for districts that don’t have bond or levy obligations.

The data is based on an analysis by the Legislative Services Offices. Deputy Division Manager Jared Tatro warned that the final numbers are likely to change after the new funding is combined with other state support programs. Tatro said he provided the data to the Legislature’s budget committee “to explain the process and how the concept will look.”

“Some of the actual amounts are out there now and this spreadsheet is not far off,” he said.

Property tax bills show savings

But property taxpayers can see how much they’re saving directly on their bills.

Bills should have indicators showing “tax relief appropriated by the Idaho State Legislature,” including from homeowner tax credits and the school facilities fund.

Here’s how much homeowners in the West Ada and Boise school districts saved:

A home in West Ada with a $489,100 assessed value this year owes about $1,940 total in property taxes. That’s over $1,000 less than last year, the result of a small decrease in assessed value – values dropped across Ada County this year – along with tax relief from HB 292.

West Ada School District Assessed value	$489,100
Taxes owed	$2,534.34
Homeowner tax credits	-$594.12
School facilities fund savings	-$103.23
Total due	$1,940.22

Boise School District Assessed value	$298,500
Taxes owed	$1,656.78
Homeowner tax credits	-$288.06
School facilities fund savings	-$33.05
Total due	$1,368.72

The school district facilities fund reduced West Ada’s tax levy by more than $103, while roughly $594 was slashed through homeowner tax credits from HB 292.

Meanwhile, a Boise School District home with a $298,500 assessed value this year owes about $1,369 in property taxes. That includes a $33 discount from the school facilities fund and about $288 in new homeowner tax credits.

Lawmakers want to see results

Other districts have been creative about how they use the windfall. Lawmakers say they want to see data on how exactly the money is being used, and they expect to see property taxes decrease.

Some districts have used the new funds to leverage larger tax levies. Nampa School District officials told voters last month that their property tax burden would actually decrease with a new levy that’s $1.8 million higher per year than the current levy. That’s because the $4.9 million Nampa is getting from the state’s school facilities fund will offset the costlier levy. Voters approved the levy.

The Pocatello School District similarly told voters that the new state funding would negate the costs of a proposed $45 million bond that was on the ballot last month. Voters rejected the measure.

The Marsh Valley School District got $438,000 from HB 292, but the property tax burden on homeowners remains about the same, after voters in August approved a new $1.1 million annual levy. The levy will address “pretty significant financial challenges,” said Superintendent Gary Tucker.

“Having this bill pass enabled us to have a supplemental levy that may be a little bit larger, without having the amount people have coming out of their pockets go up,” Tucker said. “I know it was meant as a tax relief bill, and that is giving our patrons tax relief, because they are earmarking more for schools without having to pay it with their taxes.”

During a recent meeting of the Legislature’s budget committee, co-chairs Sen. C. Scott Grow, R-Eagle, and Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, asked state analysts to track how districts are using the funds, and whether they are raising taxes.

JFAC Chairman Idaho Rep. Wendy Horman (R, Idaho Falls) at the State Capitol building on January 11, 2023. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun)

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JFAC Chairman Idaho Rep. Wendy Horman (R, Idaho Falls) at the State Capitol building on January 11, 2023. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun)

“The intent of this bill was to give property tax relief, so that’s what we want to see happening in all these districts,” Grow said during the meeting. “Not using it for some other purpose and increasing the taxes on the folks.”

Horman told Idaho Education News that she has warned superintendents not to use the state funds for higher-cost levies. Horman noted that on top of HB 292, the Legislature this year increased regular K-12 funding by 16.4%.

“We sent out, literally, hundreds of millions of dollars this year to help relieve the burden on local taxpayers, both for facilities and for the operations of school districts,” Horman said. “We really expect to see those levies shrink over time, due to the state picking up the cost.”

Episode 19: Meeting Idaho’s 2024 Teacher of the Year, Trent Van Leuven

Carly Flandro — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 23:39:46 +0000

On this episode, Host Carly Flandro talks with Idaho’s 2024 teacher of the year, Trent Van Leuven. Trent is a career technical educator at Mackay Jr. Sr High. He tells EdNews about the unique lessons and projects he’s spearheaded with students, how Idaho’s in the “golden age” for CTE education, and his ideas for recruiting and retaining teachers in rural schools like his.

Idaho Education News · Ep. 19: Meeting Idaho’s 2024 Teacher of the Year, Trent Van Leuven

After a fire and an election loss, Pocatello school leaders consider running another bond

Carly Flandro — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 23:26:09 +0000

POCATELLO — Seven months after a fire destroyed part of Highland High, and weeks after voters denied a bond measure that would’ve restored and improved the school, education leaders are still seeking a way forward.

And they’re grappling with difficult realities — a return to a fully-functioning school is years away, and Highland’s freshman class will never learn in a fully rebuilt school.

“No matter what we do, those kids’ entire high school careers will be in a fractured facility and a fractured environment,” Jena Wilcox, an assistant principal at Highland, said.

Pocatello/Chubbuck trustees and administrators discussed next steps at a special meeting Tuesday, and seemed torn about whether to put another bond on the ballot. On Nov. 7, their $45 million bond failed with 56% support, short of the needed two-thirds supermajority.

No decisions were made, but the school leaders’ conversation reflected the difficulties of financing major building upgrades through voter-approved bonds, and while navigating laws that hinder their ability to communicate with voters.

Trustees’ next chance to put a bond on the ballot is in May, and they would have to make a decision and submit ballot language by late March. But at least one trustee opposed the idea.

“I do not believe that another bond will pass,” Trustee Angie Oliver said. “So if that doesn’t pass, are we going to do another one? I mean, how long are we going to put this off?”

Students need a fully-functioning school as soon as possible, she said.

Pocatello/Chubbuck Trustee Deanna Judy (photo: sd25.us)

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Pocatello/Chubbuck Trustee Deanna Judy (photo: sd25.us)

Pocatello/Chubbuck Trustee Heather Clarke (photo: sd25.us)

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Pocatello/Chubbuck Trustee Heather Clarke (photo: sd25.us)

But Trustees Deanna Judy and Heather Clarke said they were in favor of another bond election.

“We have one opportunity from this tragedy to do it right,” Judy said.

The insurance monies will pay to rebuild the school exactly as it was, as well as some improvements if current building codes call for them. But Judy said the district should build an improved school that reflects today’s needs, as opposed to the needs of Highland students in the 1960s, when the school was built. At that time, the school didn’t serve freshmen, as it does now, or offer women’s sports.

“We need to change the messaging and educate people on why we need that upgrade. It’s not just to make it bigger and shinier, it’s opportunities for the kids,” she said.

Wilcox expressed support for a second bond election.

“I’m in favor of us trying to do this again and do a better job at it,” she said. “But if we can’t get this passed this next go-around, we have to cut our losses … We have to minimize that impact for kids.”

Leaders discussed a few options Tuesday, ranging from rebuilding Highland as it was before the fire, to rebuilding and improving its gym, auditorium and science labs. The price tag for those options range from no cost, to $35.4 million.

If the district’s proposed $45 million bond had passed in November, a chunk of it would’ve gone to a second school, Century High, to improve its gym facilities.

Trustees also discussed whether to give voters a chance to fund just Highland’s improvements on the next ballot.

Results from a recent community survey indicate that the added ask for Century was a primary reason for denying the bond.

About 2,300 community members took the survey during a ten-day period from Nov. 16-26.

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About 2,300 community members took the survey during a ten-day period from Nov. 16-26.

And there was frequent discussion about how to better communicate with stakeholders if trustees run another bond ask. More than 300 stakeholders who took the poll called for more public meetings and information.

But Courtney Fisher, the district’s director of communications, said laws constrain outreach efforts.

A law passed last spring, for example, requires districts to post the official ballot language — which is cumbersome legalese — whenever they mention a bond measure or even remind community members to vote. Fisher said the bond language confused constituents.

A district social media post from Nov. 7 includes a reminder to vote, and the lengthy ballot language.

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A district social media post from Nov. 7 includes a reminder to vote, and the lengthy ballot language.

District officials are also barred from advocating for bond or levy measures, and can only inform or educate. Because of that, Fisher said she opted not to go on radio or television, which kept her from reaching a potentially wider audience.

“We need to help our legislative delegation understand that these legal ramifications are not helping create a more informed electorate,” Fisher said. “It’s causing confusion. People want simple, straight answers, and some of these legal constraints prevent us from doing that.”

Importance of open government laws on display with shocking stories

Jason Mercier — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 21:21:36 +0000

Strong open government laws are critical to a well-functioning republic and ensuring public accountability. Two recent shocking stories, one in Washington and one in Idaho, however, sadly illustrate the lengths that some public officials will go to frustrate this important accountability. As a strong supporter of robust public records laws, the details from these stories are truly dismaying.

First, consider a KING 5 story in Washington that a state economist was not only threatened to keep important information from the public but was explicitly told not to put anything in writing that could be subject to a public records request:

“A state economist says he had to resign after suffering retaliation for his analysis that the state’s cap-and-trade policy would significantly increase gas prices . . .

State leaders told consumers not to worry: the cap-and-trade system wouldn’t add much to the price of gas. Two months before the policy went into effect, a top official at the Dept. of Ecology said drivers wouldn’t notice . . .

In a legal claim filed against WSDOT, the Office of Financial Management (OFM) and the Office of the Governor Thursday, Smith alleges he was pressured in January to keep quiet about his calculation that cap-and-trade would lead to a 45- to 50-cent increase on every gallon of gas. He also says he was instructed not to write emails about it to avoid having to turn over the documentation if someone requested public records on the topic.”

Todd Myers, the Environmental Policy Director for the Washington Policy Center has been warning since before the state’s new cap and trade program went into effect that a similar price increase would occur. Washington state officials routinely dismissed his analysis saying the costs, if any, would only be “pennies.”

Myers told me:

“If what is reported is accurate, the Inslee Administration went to significant lengths to hide the evidence that their claims the new tax on CO2 would have a small impact on gas prices. They knew the claim was dishonest and appear to have threatened state employees to hide the truth.”

Washington state law states:

“The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies that serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may maintain control over the instruments that they have created.”

The second troubling story is in Idaho as reported by BoiseDev:

“A Boise State University official said under oath that a senior university official renamed a document to hide it from public scrutiny and skirt Idaho’s Public Records Act, and that senior employees had been told to keep certain things out of public records due to ‘political climate.’

It’s the latest in a series of attempts the school has taken to avoid public scrutiny of its workings.

The admissions came from an August deposition of Nicole Nimmons, the school’s associate vice president for campus services. Nimmons was being asked by an attorney for Big City Coffee about records practices in the coffee shop’s lawsuit against the university . .

Big City’s attorney asked Nimmons if it was standard practice to use codes to ‘evade public disclosure.’

‘I’ve been asked and told not to put things in writing at times because of public records requests and documentation,’ Nimmons replied.”

Idaho’s Public Records Law Manual clearly explains:

“Open government is the cornerstone of a free society.

Both the Washington and Idaho constitutions proclaim:

“All political power is inherent in the people.”

The foundations for an accountable government can be found in strong citizen oversight, and one of the most critical tools to achieve this is open government laws. Willful efforts by government officials to thwart public records and open government requirements are a threat to the republic and an insult to the people’s constitutional right to be informed, hold elected officials accountable, and direct their governance.

Analysis: Another high-stakes Idaho election is off to a spendy start

Kevin Richert — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 20:28:42 +0000

There are 25 shopping days until Christmas and 173 check-cutting days until the Idaho primary.

And some well-heeled donors are beating the rush, pouring tens of thousands of dollars into legislative races, even though candidates cannot begin filing for office until March 4. And for those who don’t live and breathe Idaho politics, the May 21 primary seems far off in the future.

The early money knows what’s on the line. This primary represents the next bitter, high-stakes showdown between mainstream and hardline Republicans — for control of the Legislature and, perhaps, even control of the Idaho GOP. At its essence, it’s a debate over the proper role of government, in education, infrastructure and tax policy. And after 2022, when a handful of legislative primaries carried six-figure price tags, the cost of Idaho politics is clearly climbing.

“It’s a different level of intensity than we’ve seen in past cycles,” said Sean Schupack, director of government affairs for Idaho Associated General Contractors. “The game’s changing.”

Who is giving money — and why

In this game, campaign finance reports provide a ton of statistics.

For now, legislative campaigns need only report $1,000 donations — the maximum an individual or a business can contribute. More detailed annual reports, listing smaller donations, won’t come in until early next year.

These sunshine report snapshots still tell an important piece of the story. After hardline conservatives gained ground in the 2022 primaries, especially in the Senate, some big PACs are pushing back. Some of the biggest and busiest donors have largely supported mainstream Republicans and a handful of Democrats:

Clearwater Paper, based in Spokane, Wash., has contributed to 48 legislators and legislative candidates. The company hasn’t been as active in Idaho elections in recent years, and is playing catchup this time around, communications director Julia Angelen Joy said Thursday.
The Idaho Association of Realtors has contributed to 33 candidates.
BNSF railway, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, has contributed to 16 candidates.

The money isn’t just flowing from businesses and PACs.

Richard Larsen runs a hay farm based in Dubois in Clark County, Idaho’s most sparsely populated county. His political reach has long extended beyond rural Eastern Idaho; he said he has contributed to Republicans “since Bill Clinton got elected.” And he said he will support next year’s Republican presidential nominee, whoever that turns out to be.

In the meantime, Larsen and his wife Peggy have contributed more than $100,000 to Idaho candidates and PACs, including more than two dozen GOP legislative candidates. Larsen, who describes himself as a conservative Republican, is putting money behind candidates who will be squaring off against hardline opposition. After watching “the radical right-wing libertarian people” seize control of the Republican Party, he says he’s never been involved in a more important election.

“We’re just trying to get our party back and save what we’ve got,” he said.

Meanwhile, hardline incumbents and challengers are working their own base of financial support. SMC Properties of Eagle has given maximum $1,000 donations to eight candidates; its owner, North Carolina metals dealer Stefan Gleason, has doubled down with an additional $1,000 contribution to former state Sen. Christy Zito, R-Hammett. Idaho Falls law firm Smith, Driscoll and Associates — and attorney Bryan Smith, an Idaho Freedom Foundation board member and GOP national committee member — have given maximum donations to six conservatives.

Where the money is going

Idaho’s northernmost legislative district is a battleground in the GOP’s internal war — and a bellwether for a costly election cycle.

JFAC Joint Finance Appropriations Committee

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Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle

Incumbent Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle, already has reported $19,000 in contributions, including $1,000 apiece from SMC Properties and Smith, Driscoll and Associates. Former state Sen. Jim Woodward, ousted by Herndon in the 2022 primary, has reported $32,000, including $1,000 from Clearwater Paper, $1,000 from Richard Larsen and $1,000 from Peggy Larsen. (Woodward has also beefed up his war chest with a $20,000 loan.)

Considering that Herndon and Woodward spent nearly $215,000 in the months leading up to their 2022 election, a big-money rematch is all but preordained. And the outcome could have a significant impact on education policy. Herndon is one of several hardliners on the Senate Education Committee and one of the most conservative members of the budget-writing Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, having replaced Woodward on both committees.

Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle, at a senate education committee meeting on April 3. Photo by Sami Edge/Idaho Education News

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Former state Sen. Jim Woodward

Fundraising is also off to a quick start in several other primaries that could have profound implications for education:

In another rematch involving a Senate Education hardliner, Nampa Republican Sen. Brian Lenney has raised $6,000, including $1,000 from Smith. Former Sen. Jeff Agenbroad, defeated by Lenney in 2022, has raised $5,000, including support from Clearwater Paper and the Larsens.
Bolstered by donations from AGC, the Larsens and Clearwater Paper, Middleton Republican Lori Bishop has $32,000 on hand, as she takes on Sen. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, a Senate Education hardliner and an ardent school choice advocate. Bishop’s early war chest includes a $25,000 to her campaign. Nichols has reported $2,000 in donations, including $1,000 from Freedom Foundation board member Doyle Beck.
Senate Education vice chairman Benjamin Toews has loaned his campaign $40,000, even though no opponent appears to be raising money to challenge the Coeur d’Alene Republican.
House Education Committee Chairwoman Julie Yamamoto has reported $8,000 in donations; her likely primary opponent, fellow Caldwell Republican Kent Marmon, has raised $3,000. Yamamoto is under fire from the right — partly because her committee stymied school choice legislation in 2023, and partly because she opposed a bill that would have banned libraries from distributing “harmful” materials to minors.
Yamamoto’s committee vice chair and political ally, Lori McCann, R-Lewiston, has raised $6,000. And McCann already has two opponents raising money ahead of the GOP primary; Moscow Republicans David Dalby and Colton Bennett have raised $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.

Why now?

The fundraising arms race will continue — and intensify — between now and May. That’s an outgrowth of Idaho law. While some states prohibit lawmakers from fundraising during a legislative session, Idaho has no such ban.

Jaclyn Kettler

But Boise State University political science professor Jaclyn Kettler says the early fundraising push should come as little surprise. Candidates and their supporters have ample incentive to start out fast. An early infusion of money can discourage some would-be opponents from jumping into the race. And fundraising tends to feed on itself, helping candidates attract support from other direct donors. It can also help candidates catch the eye of third-party groups that can put unlimited money into campaigns.

“There is some suggestion, particularly for primary elections, that these early donations can help establish the viability of candidates,” Kettler said.

That’s long been the strategy for Avista, a Spokane-based utility that has so far supported 10 legislative incumbents, including McCann. The utility tends to endorse incumbents — and well ahead of the May primaries. “We haven’t really diverted from this methodology,” said Jared Webley, Avista’s communications manager.

AGC, meanwhile, is consciously speeding up its calendar.

AGC has sent maximum $1,000 donations to Bishop and five other candidates, and will likely send our more checks in December, Schupack said. Generally, AGC tries to get donations out before the session begins in January — but now, the group wants to help candidates get ahead of bitter primaries and a potential surge of out-of-state money.

“The earlier you provide resources to good candidates, the more effectively those resources can be deployed,” he said.

The primary may be 173 days away, but this long election has started early.

Kevin Richert writes a weekly analysis on education policy and education politics. Look for his stories each Thursday.

The final five: Idaho State presidential field narrows

Kevin Richert — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 00:00:45 +0000

The list of finalists for the Idaho State University presidency is in — and it includes one familiar name and one internal candidate.

Lewis-Clark State President Cynthia Pemberton is among the five finalists to succeed Kevin Satterlee, who is retiring from Idaho State at the end of the year. Pemberton has been president at Lewis-Clark since 2018.

Also on the list is C. Shane Hunt, dean of Idaho State’s College of Business and a professor of marketing. Hunt joined Idaho State in 2020.

Here are the other finalists, also announced by the State Board of Education late Wednesday afternoon:

Matt Cecil: Provost and executive vice president for academic and student affairs at Northern Kentucky University. Cecil joined NKU in 2021.

Robbyn Wacker: President of St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. Wacker has been president at St. Cloud since 2018.

Robert Wagner: Executive vice president and chief operating officer at Utah State University, where he has worked 16 years.

The finalists come from a pool of more than 80 applicants. A search committee this week interviewed 12 semifinalists, narrowing the field to the five finalists.

“We have an outstanding pool of finalists to choose from,” said State Board member Cindy Siddoway, co-chair of the search committee.

The finalists will visit Idaho State’s Pocatello and Meridian campuses next week, and speak to students, faculty, staff and the public at open forums. The public can comment on the finalists through an online portal.

The State Board of Education hopes to name a successor next month.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little says state is well-prepared for uncertain economic future

Clark Corbin, Idaho Capital Sun — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 22:15:13 +0000

Idaho’s top two statewide elected officials said Wednesday that the state is well-positioned to ride out economic uncertainty created by the collision of inflation and high interest rates with rapid growth officials are still taking stock of.

Gov. Brad Little and Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke were among the speakers during the 77th annual Associated Taxpayers of Idaho conference Wednesday in downtown Boise.

Speaking to a politically savvy, influential audience, Little and Bedke highlighted the Idaho Legislature’s efforts to cut property taxes, reduce income taxes, bolster the state’s rainy day savings accounts and spend down a record state surplus through investments in public education, state parks, roads and infrastructure projects.

“We have in recent years offered more tax relief per capita than any other state,” Little said.

Governor touts Idaho Launch program as way to meet the needs of in-demand careers

During his almost 20-minute speech, Little highlighted his Idaho Launch grant program. Idaho Launch provides Idaho high school seniors with up to $8,000 they can use for career-technical education, workforce training programs, two-year colleges or four-year colleges for in-demand careers. The Idaho Legislature expanded the Idaho Launch program during the 2023 legislative session by passing House Bill 24.

“The one limitation on the workforce that I hear is … that we have got to have more skilled workers,” Little said.

“For every single Idaho kid who walks across the podium in May and gets their (high school) diploma, there’s going to be resources for them to go on to become a welder, to become an electrician, to become a lineman, plus all the traditional jobs,” Little added.

Officials highlight Idaho past budget surpluses

During his speech, Bedke highlighted how the Idaho Legislature used the state’s record $2 billion surplus from 2022.

“So what did we do with all that money?” Bedke asked. “We invested back in Idaho. We returned money back to our taxpayers back-to-back-to-back times. We paid off every callable bond that we could. We filled up every savings account that we could. We changed the law to make the savings accounts larger to accommodate more money. We invested back into our roads and bridges and our water systems – all the vital, strategic infrastructure that the state needs going into the future. We invested back into our schools, our kids. And we’ve done that in what I think is a very responsible way.”

Neither Little nor Bedke unveiled any specific new policy proposals for the 2024 legislative session on Wednesday.

Little did say Idaho’s days of record, billion-dollar surpluses are likely in the past because of multiple rounds of tax cuts that reduce state revenue collections.

Associated Taxpayers of Idaho is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that represents taxpayers’ perspectives to policymakers through research and education.

First held in 1946, the conference attracts a who’s who among Idaho’s business and political leaders. For decades the conference has had a reputation for serving as the unofficial kickoff to Idaho’s annual legislative session, which begins next year on Jan. 8.

Other speakers and panelists at Wednesday’s conference included Little, Bedke, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane, State Controller Brandon Woolf, Ada County Assessor Rebecca Arnold and Speaker of the Idaho House Mike Moyle, R-Star.

Little’s father, David Little, was one of the founding members of Associated Taxpayers of Idaho.

During his presentation, McGrane discussed several new data visualization reports available on the Idaho Secretary of State’s website, including a new report showing Idaho is becoming more conservative based on the party affiliation of voters moving here from other states.

Aside from elected officials, economics and tax experts also spoke during Wednesday’s daylong conference. Several presenters said they were studying mixed economic signals and were unsure whether to expect a mild recession, a significant recession or continued economic growth without any kind of recession in the short-term future.

Idaho Capital Sun is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Idaho Capital Sun maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Christina Lords for questions: info@idahocapitalsun.com. Follow Idaho Capital Sun on Facebook and Twitter.

Commission releases names of finalists, but not their professional backgrounds

Darren Svan — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 15:48:54 +0000

The Idaho Public Charter School Commission named its finalists to interview for director two days after its public meeting to select them.

The finalists are Monica Church, Michelle Dunstan and Jacob Smith. The commission would not share their professional backgrounds.

As the state’s largest charter school authorizer, the charter commission director leads a team monitoring academic and financial outcomes for 66 schools across the state. The director’s position has been unstable since March — two director resignations and a current interim director.

When the commission declined to release finalists’ names following an executive session, Idaho Education News submitted a public record’s request for their names and professional experience contained in their resumes.

The commission’s interim director Alex Adams, the state’s budget director, has shared EdNews’ request for their professional experience with the deputy attorney general and will respond Thursday, he told EdNews in an email. Adams believes Idaho Code 74-106(1) protects their resumes from public disclosure.

“As I do not currently have written consent from the applicants, I am unable to fulfill at this time,” Adams told EdNews.

The director is a state employee compensated with taxpayer dollars. The position pays $108,000 to $118,500 annually, according to the job listing.

The charter commission scheduled a special meeting next Thursday at 1 p.m. to interview the candidates. EdNews was told that those interviews will likely take place in executive session.

Monica Church, Michelle Dunstan and Jacob Smith

The three candidates

EdNews was able to find basic background information using social media posts and agency websites but was unable to verify the information from the commission or the candidates.

Church is the executive director of the Frank Church Institute at Boise State University. She is a strong advocate for “youth voices, democratic values and the environment.” A longtime educator and public servant, she holds degrees in philosophy, history, secondary social studies education, and a master’s in education leadership and administration.

Dunstan is a former education director at Anser Charter School in Boise. She’s also served as a community based curriculum director and elementary teacher. She holds a master’s in education leadership and administration and a bachelor’s in elementary education from Boise State University, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Smith is the charter commission’s finance program manager. Prior to joining the commission staff in 2022, he spent over 13 years as the director of operations for Idaho Digital Learning Alliance. During his tenure as director, he provided support and oversight of the school’s finances, budgets, facilities, policies and human resources. He has degrees in business administration and in accounting from Boise State University.

Monday’s executive session

During a 30-minute, closed-door executive session Monday, the commissioners said they made a decision to narrow their search for a new director to three candidates, from a pool of 16.

After the board returned to an open session, a motion was made to select “their top three candidates” to interview next week. The motion did not include their names and it passed unanimously.

Commission chairman Alan Reed told EdNews that deputy attorney general Tim Davis said to “use a number” when referring to the applicants, because that is a “personnel matter.”

When asked for the names after the meeting, Davis told EdNews that their resumes could not be released but their names are public record.

Those names were not released to EdNews until late Wednesday evening by Adams and he declined to include their professional background history. He said in an email that EdNews would have to take the commission to Ada County District Court to compel the agency to release the information. EdNews asked Adams to reconsider his position and he said he’d take EdNews’ argument back to the attorney general’s office. EdNews will continue to pursue the information because Idaho law indicates that professional background — such as work history, education and place of employment — is public record.

Idaho Code 74-106 reads in part that all personnel records of a current or former public official are not considered public record, “other than the public official’s public service or employment history, classification, pay grade and step, longevity, gross salary and salary history … status, workplace and employing agency.”

The requested background from their resumes are not part of the exempt portion. The Public Records Law Manual buttresses Idaho Code 74-196 and includes an admission that “the Legislature acknowledges that there is some loss of privacy when one accepts a position supported by public money.”

Adams stepped in as interim director following the resignation of two directors in the span of five months. Nichole Hall resigned in August after less than two months on the job to accept another position. She had replaced Jenn Thompson, who resigned in March alongside former commissioner Brian Scigliano in protest of board decisions they deemed irresponsible.

EdNews Data Analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report.

U.S. education secretary visits Boise schools to announce grant, discuss mental health

Ryan Suppe — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 02:10:23 +0000

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Tuesday visited two Boise schools, where he announced a $6.5 million annual grant to expand community school programs in Idaho and spoke with parents about mental health.

Idaho is one of 19 states, along with Washington, D.C., that will receive Full-Service Community Schools grants from the Biden Administration. The five-year awards are going to public schools, nonprofits and other organizations that operate community school programs.

Community schools provide neighborhood services beyond education, such as family support and health care, often in partnership with nonprofits and other local resources. United Way of Treasure Valley, a nonprofit that helps fund community schools, is receiving the Idaho grant.

Cardona, a Democrat, toured Boise’s Whitney Elementary School before announcing the nationwide grants in a roundtable discussion with local education leaders, including Idaho State Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield and Boise School District Superintendent Coby Dennis.

“It’s really important that we understand just how valuable it is to put resources where the kids are,” Dennis said Tuesday. “I’m also equally as excited to see other communities around the state have the opportunity that we have here in Boise.”

The grant will “enhance the already strong” community school programs in Idaho, Cardona said. “The program that they have here is a model program,” he said of Whitney, a community school on the Boise Bench. “We picked this program because it’s exceptional.”

Panel touts value of community schools

Idaho has 41 community schools in 25 districts, according to the United Way of Treasure Valley, which has led an effort to expand community schools in the state. There were four – all in the Boise School District – less than a decade ago.

United Way of Treasure Valley President and CEO Tim Jackson said his group adopted a “scalable” model to connect public schools with groups that can offer resources. Those partnerships can provide school families everything from afterschool programs to food pantries to counseling.

“We’ve got a lot of community resources; how do we weave them together and support kids in our schools?” Jackson said. “Money is seeded to help to start the work, a lot of technical assistance and support is provided, and districts are able to set them up to meet the unique needs of different communities.”

Panelists said Tuesday that the community school model is particularly valuable for rural schools. Marsing School District Superintendent Norm Stewart said his district built a school resource center – called “The Hub” – after the local food bank and senior center closed.

The roughly 1,000-resident town has a high rate of low-income families, Stewart said, and the resource center provides services to families as well as students, with help from local groups.

“In a rural setting, it’s really (about) identifying the true needs of our community,” he said.

President Joe Biden’s administration since 2020 has increased funding for the U.S. Department of Education’s Full-Service Community School program five-fold, from $25 million to $150 million. The new round of grants will fund programs in 102 school districts across the country, according to the federal education department.

Critchfield, the Republican, first-term state superintendent, said she met privately with Cardona. While Critchfield said she shared frustrations with unrelated federal regulations, the Biden administration visit represented an acknowledgement of Idaho’s community school successes.

“We’ve been doing it very well, and now we’re having others take note,” she said.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona meets with parents from the Boise School District.

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U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona meets with parents from the Boise School District.

Parents concerned about student relationships, teacher stress

Cardona capped his Idaho school tour with a discussion about mental health with Boise School District parents.

The district has faced a string of recent student and teacher deaths, including some related to suicide. Earlier this month, Dennis and School Board President Dave Wagers urged parents and students to draw on mental health resources, like free counseling.

A dozen Boise parents met with Cardona at Frank Church High, where they discussed school safety, parent-teacher relationships, the effects of smartphones and burnout before college, among other topics.

Some parents said that they worry about their kids’ relationships after the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Others remarked that they’re concerned with the stress levels of teachers.

“Are the adults working with my children in good mental spaces? Are they feeling valued, are they feeling safe, are they feeling appreciated?” one mom said. “I want them to be in a good space so they can give their best selves to my kids.”

Cardona, a former elementary school teacher and principal with children in high school and college, praised co-curricular activities as a method to improve relationships and mental health, and urged the parents to advocate for more access to activities.

He also said the Biden administration is pushing all high schools to offer at least 12 college credits, to motivate students to continue on to college, and urging states to improve teacher pay. Cardona noted that Idaho salaries lag behind the national average.

“There are certain things that we’re doing to get to all the things that we’re talking about,” he said.

Investigation: Garden Valley repeatedly violated federal special education law

Carly Flandro — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 22:35:54 +0000

Editor’s note: We agreed to anonymity for the families in order to protect the safety and privacy of the minors involved.

GARDEN VALLEY — The Garden Valley School District has repeatedly violated a federal law that requires children with disabilities to receive a free and appropriate public education, according to two reports from the State Department of Education.

Two families with children with special needs who are enrolled in the district filed separate, formal complaints in September, alleging multiple district violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

The State Department investigated and found that all of the allegations — 11 combined — were founded and the district was out of compliance, according to reports provided to the parents. EdNews obtained the reports from the families.

The state investigation calls out the district for a number of inappropriate practices, including:

Frequently secluding a student in a padded room that was formerly a utility closet
Failing to adequately train staff
Keeping a student out of school for 10 days or more without following the appropriate procedures and protocols
Inappropriately relying on a school resource officer to manage special education student behavior
Stifling parent participation in creating a learning plan for their student
Providing little to no direct instruction for a student, and instead relying on an online program
Failing to adopt the state’s special education manual or a restraint and seclusion policy

In both cases, the state investigator, Courtney Wucetich, established a plan that the district must adhere to to remedy its failures, which includes:

Properly training staff, then implementing the training
Adopting the state’s special education manual and restraint and seclusion policy
Holding special education meetings, and developing and creating needed special education plans
Developing a plan to provide compensatory services for the students (such as therapy, counseling, etc.)
Paying for an impartial school psychologist assigned by the State Department

For the families involved, both of whom asked to remain anonymous out of fears of retaliation, the reports came as no surprise.

“It just confirmed what we already knew,” said the parent of a 15-year-old student with special needs, who will be referred to as Student A. “It’s just one more step in the process of cleaning up the district.”

The second report was filed by the parents of a nine-year-old with autism, who will be referred to as Student B. One of Student B’s parents said he was disheartened by the report.

“It breaks my heart because now I understand why (my student is) so traumatized about school,” he said. “(My student is) truly scared of going to school and that’s not something any kid should fear, for any reason whatsoever.”

Both families have also filed formal complaints with the Office of Civil Rights. One is being actively investigated, and the other is being reviewed for possible investigation.

Patrick Goff, the Garden Valley superintendent, said he had no comment.

The investigations, which came to light in part via social media posts shared by Student B’s family, have riled the Garden Valley community. Some said they have similar concerns about the district’s treatment of their special education students. Others defended and praised the district.

Both families are hoping the investigations will lead to improved and fair education opportunities for their children, and for special education students to come.

“At the end of the day, what I want from all this is simple: for this to be exposed so that no more kids get hurt,” one of Student B’s parents said.

Locked alone in a padded room: Student B’s education was repeatedly mishandled, investigation concludes

Demystifying Jargon: Individualized Education Plan
-An IEP identifies a student’s needs and includes specific, measurable goals to “enable the student to make adequate progress in the general education curriculum.” The plan must include “a variety of assessment tools and strategies, including information provided by the parent, to identify the functional, developmental, and academic needs of the student.”

-A team (which could include general education teachers, special education teachers, counselors, administrators, a school psychologist, parents, and the student) meets periodically to develop, review, and revise the plan.

The district’s failures to educate and provide services to Student B were wide-ranging, according to the report, and included:

Not having a current Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for a student with special needs

- - The district also failed to properly review and revise the plan as needed. Progress reports were also not included in the plan.
  - “The District failed to develop an appropriate IEP with measurable goals and failed to identify needed related services,” according to the report.

Substantial deviations from the IEP that was in place

- - - For example, the plan called for the student to be in a general education classroom 100% of the school day. Instead, the student was in the extended resource room or a padded isolation room for most of the day.

Using restraint and seclusion to manage student behavior, instead of positive interventions and supports, and without the IEP team determining that such placement was the best for the student. Further, the district continued the practice even when the student and parents told the district about its negative impacts.

- - This involved the student being placed alone in a padded room “for undocumented periods of time, and for unknown frequency,” with “very little interaction with peers”.
  - “Although emails from the parents reflected that the Student was terrified of school, terrified of the self-contained classroom, and that the use of the self-contained room caused harm to the Student, this information was not considered by the District.”
  - Staff members would “carry” the student to the padded room, a form of restraint.
  - The district also lacked a policy on restraint and seclusion.
  - The district used restraint and seclusion “as a punitive measure, or out of convenience” rather than as a last resort.

Inappropriate use of the School Resource Officer (SRO)

- Federal law does not prohibit a district “from referring a student to law enforcement for alleged criminal behavior,” according to the report. However, a district should not refer students to the SRO in order to “circumvent its obligation to consider the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports and other strategies to address a student’s behavior that impedes the student’s learning, or the learning of others.”

Paraprofessionals were not adequately trained and supervised

- The paraprofessionals “engaged in power struggles with the Student,” according to the report.
- There was no record that these staff members received training on how to use positive behavioral interventions and strategies.
- Staff members did not use de-escalation strategies, teach coping skills, or redirect misbehavior.
- The paraprofessional was also not trained to objectively collect data, and instead judged the student’s behavior.

Staff regularly used inappropriate techniques to manage student behavior

- These included restraint and seclusion and the use of the SRO “which are not appropriate,” the report found.
- “A staff member who restrained and secluded the Student on multiple occasions did not participate in the District’s in-service training, as evidenced by a lack of a training certificate in the file.”
- “The means by which the paraprofessional staff restrained and secluded the Student, by carrying them and locking them in the self-contained classroom with unknown frequency and duration, is not consistent with an appropriate use of PBIS.”

Removing the student from school for more than 10 school days, without the appropriate protocol being followed

- The student was frequently removed from school, either formally via suspensions or informally by school staff asking parents to pick up their student.
- When students are removed from school for more than 10 days, the district must follow a set of procedures and protocol called a Manifest Determination. The district did not do so.
- “Hundreds of pages of email exchanges provided by both the parents and the District reflect that the frequency of informal removals, coupled with formal suspensions, exceeded a cumulative ten school days,” according to the report.

“The lack of resources is not a defense”: How the district failed Student A

According to Student A’s report, four allegations put forward by the family were founded. They included violations such as:

Inadequate IEPs

- The plans designed for the student were inadequate and did not meet the student’s needs. This includes a failure to provide the student with “specially designed instruction,” discuss or offer related services, and limited involvement/input from the school psychologist.
- The district “did not use a variety of assessment tools and strategies, including information provided by the parent, to identify the functional, developmental, and academic needs of the student in the development, review, and revision of the IEP.”

The district primarily relied on an online program for the student’s instruction in the 22-23 school year

- Last school year, “there was little to no direct instruction provided to the Student. Instead the District relied almost exclusively on MobyMax for the majority” of the year.
- Student A’s parents confirmed this with EdNews, and said their student had been learning primarily from home since August 2022. Their student was originally learning from an online program, and is now using paper packets and meets with a teacher two hours a day at the local library.

Failures are partly due to lack of resources — but that’s not an excuse

- The failure to provide services is partly due to a lack of resources, the investigator found. “However, the lack of resources is not a defense to the District’s failure.”

Student A’s progress reports were lacking

- - Progress reports did not indicate how Student A was progressing toward annual IEP goals.

Parental participation was stifled

- - Federal law mandates that parents have a central role in developing IEPs. However, the state investigator found that “parental participation was stifled in all decisions related to the Student’s IEP development, including placement.” The district essentially determined the plan before consulting parents.

Moving forward: Next steps for the families

Both families see the corrective action plan outlined in the investigation as a step forward. But both hope the complaints to the Office of Civil Rights (one of which is being reviewed for possible investigation; the other is being actively investigated) will result in more stringent outcomes for the district officials involved.

One of Student B’s parents said he felt compelled to file the complaints to fight for his child, and to hold staff members accountable for what they’d done.

“Sometimes someone has to take a stand and say when something’s not right,” one of Student B’s parents said.

But even with the corrective action plan in place, Student B’s family hopes to move out of state, to a place with more resources for their child. The family moved to Garden Valley a few years ago from the Boise area.

But Student A’s family has long lived in Garden Valley and intends to stay there.

“I grew up in the area and so I’m not going to let the good old boys’ club push me out,” one of Student A’s parents said.

Ultimately he hopes the investigation will result in his student being able to return to school, where the student can interact with peers again.

“We have been pushing from day one to get him back into school.”

Idaho’s merit semifinalists announced

Darren Svan — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 21:39:24 +0000

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of Idaho seniors selected as semifinalists in the annual National Merit Scholarship Program that honors the academic prowess of thousands of students across the country.

Petra Kennedy, a Moscow High School senior who’s among Idaho’s semifinalists, said, “My drive for excellence comes from my family. I’m interested in academics because my mom and dad instilled a sense of curiosity and determination in me early on … but past that, I’ve had some very inspirational teachers.”

Petra Kennedy

Her classmate, Max Pieper, 17, is motivated to succeed because he truly enjoys learning about different topics and “making connections between them.” With plans to attend the Naval Academy, Pieper has a keen interest in foreign relations, like the tension between Taiwan and China.

“I’ve always been interested in … how different factors can influence countries’ actions. Seeing the political maneuvering and how the economics of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry ties into it is really fascinating to me,” Pieper said.

The nationwide pool of semifinalists represents less than one percent of all U.S. high school seniors. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors. The program selected 100 Idaho students.

Thirty-four percent of the state’s total number of semifinalists are from the Boise School District. “Congratulations to the students who have earned recognition as a national semifinalist and honored for their academic ability,” said Coby Dennis, Boise School District superintendent.

Max Pieper

The following six high schools boasted the highest number of semifinalists: Boise High School, 16; Timberline High School, 15; Renaissance High School, 8; Moscow High School, 5; Cole Valley Christian High School, 4; Idaho Falls High School, 4; Bishop Kelly High School, 4.

Seventeen-year-old Kieran Long said, “I don’t really know where my ‘drive for excellence’ comes from. My parents encouraged me to do well in school, but that doesn’t cover everything. I try to do well in school simply because I know I can, and it feels disappointing to not do as well as I know I can.”

The scholarship program is an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college scholarships. Millions of students vie for admission to the program and scholarships worth nearly $28 million. As they traverse the program, students are awarded status levels: commended, semifinalist, finalist and finally merit scholars. Scholarship winners are announced in the spring.

To become a finalist, semifinalists must submit a detailed scholarship application that includes an academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received.

Kieran Long

Long hasn’t selected a specific academic path because he enjoys every subject. “I want to use college to figure out what I am truly interested in and what I want to do for the rest of my life,” he said.

Mason Bledsoe plans to study aerospace engineering with a focus on propulsion technology. “My drive for excellence mostly comes from my interests. I just happen to be really fascinated by topics that are covered in school.”

2024 Idaho National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists

BOISE HIGH SCHOOL

Taelyn J. Baiza

Sophia Y. Chen

Adriana M. Curtis

Reece J. Deidrick

Fiona A. Fleisher

Lauren E. Gee

Noe H. Kemper

Avery Lott

Lauren E. Olsen

Tyson E. Russell

Keyton S. Smith

Nicholas Thomas

Cory Thomas-Liddle

James Welcker

Megan Wolin

Oliver T. Wroten

CAPITAL HIGH SCHOOL

Sophia Bourgeau

Anthony Donegan

Luke O. McKinney

CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOL

Christopher Dunkley

HOMESCHOOL

Zelia M. Vidales

Ellyn L. Tran

BISHOP KELLY HIGH SCHOOL

Wesley B. Barton

Ryan A. Buckner

Isaac V. Pettyjohn

Hoyoon Song

RIVERSTONE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Fiona Van De Graaff

TIMBERLINE HIGH SCHOOL

Ibrahim Ahmad

Garrett T. Eppich

Isaac Estrada

Austin J. Giffen

Jaya Kasthuri

Bhavya Kistupati

Hayoon Lee

Elena Li

Nathan X. Li

Stephanie Liu

Margaret McCormick

Kahlil Monje

Alessandra Truax

Forrest Zeng

Kevin Zhu

COEUR D’ALENE CHARTER ACADEMY

Henry DePew

Abigail Moehring

COEUR D’ALENE HIGH SCHOOL

Jameson J. Dale

Andrew C. Hubbard

Isabella O. Le

EAGLE HIGH SCHOOL

Annalise DeMange

Nikita Didenko

Tristan Walker

WOOD RIVER HIGH SCHOOL

Lucas A. Smith

IDAHO FALLS HIGH SCHOOL

Victor S. Huang

Alexander B. Kingma

Grace E. Madsen

Katelyn G. Traynor

THUNDER RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL

Samuel C. Spencer

KIMBERLY HIGH SCHOOL

Mallory Otto

KUNA HIGH SCHOOL

James M. Leckie

MCCALL-DONNELLY HIGH SCHOOL

George Speirs

AMBROSE SCHOOL

Krystin A. Collingwood

COLE VALLEY CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL

Micah P. Hatfield

Rinoa J. Oliver

Jacob Parnell

Brandon M. Vander Stelt

MERIDIAN MEDICAL ARTS CHARTER

Bekir Swidan

MERIDIAN TECHNICAL CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL

Joshua Richmond

MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL

Gavin S. Keller

OWYHEE HIGH SCHOOL

Micah Palin

RENAISSANCE HIGH SCHOOL

Cameron Z. Beaver

Hannah Beaver

Colman Lee

Brooklyn D. Lewis

Lucy Porter

Logan S. Ray

Hannah Scoville

Johnathan Van Vliet

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL

Rachel Roberts

MOSCOW HIGH SCHOOL

Mason Bledsoe

Petra Kennedy

Kieran Long

Max Pieper

Dylan Taylor

MOUNTAIN HOME HIGH SCHOOL

Gareth P. Brantley

SKYVIEW HIGH SCHOOL

Melissa Eyer

CENTURY HIGH SCHOOL

Josh T. Agres

Evelyn R. Brittin

HIGHLAND HIGH SCHOOL

Ellie G. Burnside

Elise L. Wood

POCATELLO HIGH SCHOOL

Elijah C. Buchanan

Clare M. Earnest

Caleb A. Jensen

CLASSICAL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

Michael P. Bell

MADISON HIGH SCHOOL

Camilla J. Cullimore

Casey Donahoo

Elena M. Pack

SANDPOINT HIGH SCHOOL

Keane J. Haesle

TWIN FALLS HIGH SCHOOL

Benjamin T. Rands

Zachariah L. Swensen

Mason B. Ward

XAVIER CHARTER SCHOOL

Anna Aiello

Idaho voters can be trusted to responsibly exercise their initiative rights

Jim Jones — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 20:44:47 +0000

It was a bit surprising to read an opinion piece that Representative Lance Clow (R-Twin Falls) has circulated to media outlets around the state, warning Idahoans against signing the Open Primaries Initiative. He accused the supporters of the initiative of having “ulterior motives” with the goal “to give the Idaho Democratic Party an increased opportunity.” If that is the goal, one might be left to wonder why Butch and Lori Otter, former Senator Denton Darrington, former House Speaker Bruce Newcomb, former JFAC co-chair Maxine Bell and a host of other Republicans from across the state have come together to urge approval of the initiative.

It is instructive to consider this legislator’s view of the initiative process because it tells us much about what has happened in our Legislature since the closed GOP primary came into being in 2012. Following the defeat of the three Luna education laws by citizen referendums that year, the Legislature enacted a law in its 2013 session, making it much more difficult to get an initiative or referendum on the ballot. It was Clow’s first legislative session and he, who has often been considered a moderate, stood up for the people’s initiative rights, being one of very few Republicans who voted against the law.

Just eight years later, after Idaho voters resoundingly approved Reclaim Idaho’s initiative to expand our Medicaid program, Clow joined most of his GOP colleagues in approving a law making it virtually impossible to pass another initiative or referendum. The Idaho Supreme Court struck the law down for depriving Idahoans of their constitutional right to make laws with the initiative and use the referendum to veto legislative enactments.

In 2022, Clow opposed an initiative to increase K-12 funding by about $330 million per year. But, when the Governor called a special session to nip the initiative in the bud and raise funding slightly more than the initiative, Clow voted for that legislation. He now opposes the Open Primaries Initiative. What happened between 2013 and the present?

I would submit that the closed GOP primary, aided and abetted by the malign influence of the Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) and its dark money allies, has created a toxic atmosphere in the Legislature, making it difficult for well-meaning legislators like Clow to do their jobs. Republicans who exercise independent judgment and fail to heed IFF’s “guidance” on culture war issues end up with low ratings on IFF’s various rating indexes. They are vilified by IFF’s gigantic propaganda media machine. They are labled as “moderates” or RINOs–Republicans in Name Only. They are primaried in the low-turnout GOP primary by IFF-approved, extreme-right candidates.

And if there is anything the Freedom Foundation hates, it is the right of Idahoans to get around an IFF-dominated Legislature by running initiatives and referendums. The IFF has made every effort to nullify that sacred right. They wield considerable influence over the laws produced by the Legislature, which they largely control, but they have much less ability to control the outcome of initiative and referendum elections.

Clow is not a puppet of the IFF, as many legislators are, but with the increasingly extreme Legislatures that have resulted since the closing of the GOP primary in 2012, he could be excused for casting a few votes in favor of IFF’s priorities. The way to free up legislators to vote reasonably and pragmatically on substantive issues–those that will improve the lives of Idahoans–is to eliminate the closed GOP primary and allow all Idaho voters to take part in selecting those who will hold important elective offices.

Clow ends his opinion implying that voters, unlike legislators, do not have the ability to carefully and responsibly make laws. In truth and fact, Idaho voters have always sparingly and responsibly exercised their initiative rights. They don’t blindly sign initiative petitions. If they have concerns about what a measure may do, they have the brains to ask questions before signing. When compared with Idaho’s recent legislative sessions, which have been so utterly dysfunctional and non-productive, Idaho’s initiative sponsors and voters have a remarkable track record.

Idahoans are enthusiastically embracing the Open Primaries Initiative and it is virtually certain to be on the 2024 general election ballot. Its approval next year will restore reasonable, responsible and responsive governing in the Gem State.

State Board lawsuit takes another twist

Kevin Richert — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 17:50:46 +0000

Attorney General Raúl Labrador wants to depose one of his own lawyers.

In a court motion Monday, Labrador’s legal team asked for permission to question Jenifer Marcus, a deputy attorney general assigned to the State Board of Education.

The motion is the latest twist in a lawsuit challenging closed-door discussions of the University of Idaho’s proposed purchase of the University of Phoenix. The open meetings case is a civil matter. However, both sides agree that if Labrador prevails in court, it could torpedo the controversial $685 million acquisition.

Marcus, the State Board’s longtime in-house attorney, is a key figure in the five-month-old legal struggle between Labrador and the board. In their own depositions, board members said they relied on Marcus’ advice before holding three closed executive sessions to discuss the Phoenix purchase. The board cited an open meetings law exemption covering transactions that pit an Idaho public agency against out-of-state public bidders.

Deposing Marcus is necessary, deputy attorney general Gregory Woodard said in Monday’s motion. He said the sworn statement would address the sole question at the heart of the lawsuit: whether the U of I was in competition for Phoenix, competition that would justify the closed-door discussions.

While the case centers on this one question, Monday’s motion illustrates the intricacies of this legal struggle. While Marcus remains assigned to the State Board, the board has hired independent counsel to handle the case. While Marcus is not involved in the lawsuit, a judge has ordered Labrador and his staff to have no contact with her about the case.

Woodard acknowledged the court’s order in the motion, but suggested the court’s order does not preclude Labrador’s office from taking a deposition. The request for the court’s permission reflects “an abundance of caution,” he wrote.

Woodard said he would hope to schedule a deposition in December.

A trial in the case is scheduled for Jan. 22.

Recount upholds Idaho Falls trustee candidate’s one-vote win

Carly Flandro — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 02:31:44 +0000

IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho Falls School District trustee candidate’s one-vote win was upheld during a recount Monday.

Realtor Shay Ricks ousted incumbent Elizabeth Cogliati, who volunteers at a local nonprofit farm, by 359 votes to her 358. The recount showed the same results, precinct by precinct, as were recorded on election night.

Shay Ricks, an incoming trustee on the Idaho Falls School Board.

" data-medium-file="https://www.idahoednews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Ricks.jpg" data-large-file="https://www.idahoednews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Ricks.jpg" class=" wp-image-86137" src="http://www.idahoednews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Ricks.jpg" alt="" width="159" height="138" srcset="https://www.idahoednews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Ricks.jpg 600w, https://www.idahoednews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Ricks-200x173.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 159px) 100vw, 159px" />

Shay Ricks, an incoming trustee on the Idaho Falls School Board.

Elizabeth Cogliati, a trustee on the Idaho Falls School Board.

" data-medium-file="https://www.idahoednews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Elizabeth_Cogliati.jpeg" data-large-file="https://www.idahoednews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Elizabeth_Cogliati.jpeg" class="size-full wp-image-86139" src="http://www.idahoednews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Elizabeth_Cogliati.jpeg" alt="" width="135" height="186" />

Elizabeth Cogliati, a trustee on the Idaho Falls School Board.

“I was certainly nervous, but I’m glad that the numbers stayed the same,” said Ricks, who will assume his new post in January. “I’m very grateful to our election staff for their dedication to accuracy in our elections … I look forward to serving on the District 91 School Board. And thank you to (Cogliati) for her hard work and dedicated service over the past four years.”

Cogliati, who requested the recount, was disappointed with the results. But she wished Ricks “all the best” and said she was “really impressed with how the recount was handled.”

A screenshot of Monday’s recount results.

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A screenshot of Monday’s recount results.

Cogliati said the recount took just over two hours, and involved a number of people, including:

Ricks and Cogliati
The Bonneville County elections clerk and election staff
Precinct judges
The state’s director of elections
The deputy secretary of state
The Bonneville County prosecutor
The Bonneville County sheriff
Members of the public
Members of the media

The process itself was “really, really involved,” Cogliati said. Here’s what it entailed:

Officials ran accuracy tests to ensure the vote tabulation machines were working correctly.
A sample of 100 ballots, total, were then drawn from three precincts of Cogliati’s choice, and from absentee ballots.
Election officials hand counted those ballots, and then ran them through the tabulation machine to ensure the counts matched. They did.
Then all of the ballots were run through the tabulation machine to ensure they matched the election results, which they did.
Randy Neal, the Bonneville County prosecutor, then announced that the election results were upheld.
Ricks and Cogliati shook hands, talked with the attorneys, and provided media statements.

“The elections office did a great job,” Cogliati said.

Charter commission selects three unnamed candidates for director vacancy

Darren Svan — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 23:04:06 +0000

The Idaho Public Charter School Commission has narrowed its search for a new director to three candidates, but the commission refused to name those candidates in an open meeting.

Idaho Education News has made a formal request for the candidates’ names and their professional and educational backgrounds.

Commissioners evaluated 16 candidates during a 30-minute, closed-door executive session on Monday afternoon. After the board reconvened in open session, a motion was made to select “their top three candidates” to interview for the executive director’s position, which has been vacant since August. The motion did not include their names. The motion passed unanimously.

A hiring decision is expected by the end of December, said Alex Adams, the state’s budget director, who has served as the commission’s interim director since August.

Commissioners previously decided that a closed meeting is necessary to promote frank conversations about the candidates. Idaho law allows public boards to meet privately when discussing hiring. But the law also says that decisions are not to be made in closed meetings.

Because the board chose not to use any candidate names during an open meeting on Monday, EdNews requested the names of every candidate and their resumes. A deputy attorney general in attendance Monday said, “Under the public records act, the applicants’ resumes at this point are exempt. The names of those applicants are considered public record but only the top five.”

A public records request was submitted after the meeting, requesting the names and professional background for their top-three applicants. At the time of publication, Adams had not yet responded.

Adams said the plan is to conduct interviews on Dec. 7 during an executive session; and a decision could come as early as Dec. 7 or at the board’s regular meeting on Dec. 14, which will take place in the Senate Education Committee room in the Capitol building.

Adams stepped in as interim director following the resignation of two directors in the span of five months. Nichole Hall resigned in August after less than two months on the job to accept another position. She had replaced Jenn Thompson, who resigned in March alongside former commissioner Brian Scigliano. The pair accused the board of acting irresponsibly.

The charter commission is Idaho’s largest charter school authorizer. Authorizers evaluate new charter school petitions and oversee the financial, academic and operational effectiveness of schools it approved. They protect the interest of students and taxpayers by holding schools accountable to performance outcomes. The charter commission authorizes 63 out of Idaho’s 77 schools. School districts and universities can also serve as authorizers.

Beware of top-four primary and ranked-choice voting petition

Lance Clow — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 20:04:46 +0000

Good laws are vital! They shouldn’t start with a “Knock, Knock. Who’s there? Confused. Confused Who? Confused about the initiative, … just sign here.”

Initiatives are often presented by strangers with a smile and a clipboard, asking you to change state law. The stranger’s goal is to get your signature on a petition to place an “Initiative” on the ballot. A petition currently circulates to place an initiative on the 2024 General Election Ballot, proposing two distinct changes and one subtle change to Idaho Election Laws.

This raises red flags, providing enough reason to say “no.” The initiative claims to address “Top-Four Primary and Ranked-Choice Voting.” If unfamiliar, just say no. The group behind the initiative, known as “Idahoans for Open Primaries,” relies on trust, suggesting the change is needed for Open Primaries. They count on you not asking important questions or reading the nineteen (19) pages of proposed legislation.

What does this group know? They know many citizens will listen to a short pitch and not confront the petitioner. They know that if you had the time and were willing to fully explain the proposal, you’d be left with your head spinning. They also know that nearly 31% of voters are not members of a political party, limited in their ability to participate in primaries. This petition isn’t about allowing “unaffiliated voters” the right to vote in partisan primaries. It’s about throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

If the petitioner suggests this is about “Open Primaries” or allowing everyone to vote in primaries, that is not full disclosure. The petition’s short title is as close to a description as possible: “A measure to: (1) Replace voter selection of party nominees with a Top-Four Primary; (2) Require a Ranked-Choice Voting System for General Elections. Don’t fall for the petitioner’s placards, signage, T-Shirts, hats and clipboards that highlight “Open Primaries.” The petition is selling you the tip of the iceberg. If you don’t know what is really in the petition, DO NOT SIGN!

The Top-Four Primary eliminates political party nominations, grouping all primary candidates, regardless of party, for each elected office on the ballot. The top-four candidates are then placed on the General Election Ballot. The Top-Four could all be from one party, meaning four candidates could qualify for the General Election. I’ve never heard any citizen ask for top-four primaries or Ranked Choice Voting. Unaffiliated citizens complain they’re not allowed to vote in the Republican Closed primary. If that’s the concern, why complicate our primaries with such a radical change to nominations? A simple initiative to open all primaries would offer a solution and not confuse the electors. So, why complicate it? Their goal is to give the Idaho Democrat Party an increased opportunity to gain traction in Idaho without addressing their own party platform. If you want an open primary, do not sign this complex petition with ulterior motives.

To make matters worse, this petition changes the general election, often identified as “Ranked Choice Voting.” That is the term used in the Title of the Initiative, but nowhere in the initiative does that term exist. The initiative uses the term “Instant Runoff Voting.” This complex voting system requires each voter to rank candidates in order of preference. The results are counted by eliminating the candidate with the least votes and rerunning the tabulation with the remaining highest-ranked candidates.

This eliminates the need for a runoff election, which Idaho does not require. This is a different issue than the system used in the Top-Four Primary. Requiring primaries to have runoff elections could be a simple solution. This should not be included in one initiative. While many citizens would prefer that primaries require a majority, that could be advanced in a separate question without confusing the voter by combining multiple issues into one initiative.

By combining three different election issues into one, this initiative creates a multiple-choice situation, but the vote requires a yes or no to the three embedded issues. Initiatives are not well vetted and create changes to Idaho Code, similar to the legislature. However, legislative actions must pass a full public hearing in both the Idaho House of Representatives and Senate. There’s full debate in the committees and on the floor of both houses before delivery to the Governor for a signature. Something this complicated should not be a citizen initiative. I suggest you not sign the petition, and if you are so inclined, be sure to read the entire 19-page initiative.

The $685 million University of Phoenix purchase: A study guide

Kevin Richert — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 19:51:19 +0000

Do you have questions about the University of Idaho’s proposal to purchase the University of Phoenix, but you were afraid to ask?

No problem. Let’s catch up.

What’s the skinny on the purchase?

The U of I wants to acquire Phoenix — a for-profit online education behemoth, which serves some 85,000 students nationally. The purchase price: $685 million.

Whoa, that’s a lot of money. What’s it going to cost taxpayers?

Nothing, if it goes according to the U of I’s plan. U of I officials have set up an affiliated nonprofit — now known, after a short-lived branding dispute, as Four Three Education, a nod to Idaho’s status as the 43^rd state of the union. Four Three would finance the purchase and oversee Phoenix, which would continue to operate under its existing brand. The U of I expects Four Three to cover the bond payments on its own, from Phoenix’s operating revenues. But the U of I might offer $10 million a year as a taxpayer-funded backstop, in case Four Three can’t make payments.

So, the deal is a wash?

No, U of I officials are hoping it’s a moneymaker. They project that the U of I will collect $10 million a year in revenues from Phoenix’s operations, for starters, and they expect this number to grow over time. In its own “frequently asked questions” page on the purchase, the university says this money “may be reinvested in strategic initiatives.”

Is it all about the money?

University of Idaho President C. Scott Green

Not according to U of I President C. Scott Green. He believes the Phoenix affiliation will reach beyond the U of I’s traditional student cohort — serving older students who are juggling work and family commitments, place-bound students who can’t or won’t move to a campus and rural students who live far from an Idaho college.

Meanwhile, demographics are changing, because of a declining birth rate dating back to the Great Recession. As colleges and universities compete for a shrinking number of 18- to 22-year-old students, Green says, they face an existential crisis. “Frankly, in my opinion, not all institutions in this country will survive,” Green told Idaho EdNews in June. (Click here to listen to this interview in podcast form.)

If Phoenix is doing so well, why is it on the auction block? And what’s in it for them?

Phoenix is owned by Apollo Global Management — and is part of a private equity fund that has reached its termination date. That makes Phoenix a motivated seller.

University of Phoenix President Chris Lynne

With only about 400 students in Idaho, Phoenix sees the rural stretches of the state as a potential growth market. Phoenix officials also say the nonprofit status will help them focus on academics. “You’re gonna see a very different University of Phoenix than you read about,” university President Chris Lynne said in an Idaho EdNews interview in August. (Click here to listen to this interview in podcast form.)

Doesn’t Phoenix come with a lot of baggage?

Well, yes. Founded in 1976, the university later went online and rapidly went viral, with enrollment swelling to 470,000 students by 2010. But problems accompanied the growth — culminating in 2019 with a $191 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, stemming from complaints of deceptive advertising.

And just in September, the Biden administration said it would write off $37 million of Phoenix student loan debts.

Green has acknowledged Phoenix’s spotty reputation, and the challenges that come with it. But he says most of Phoenix’s problems occurred under previous leadership.

The U of I has refused to release documents addressing its risks from loan writeoffs. But the U of I has downplayed the risk, partly because Phoenix would turn over $200 million in cash to Four Three if the purchase goes through.

Who signed off on this deal?

The State Board of Education, which serves as the U of I’s board of regents. In May 18, the board voted unanimously to give the deal the go-ahead — after a 90-minute discussion, and without taking any public comment. This was the board’s only public meeting on the proposal, which was disclosed only one day earlier.

“We’re going to face an enrollment cliff. … all across the country,” State Board member Kurt Liebich said during the meeting. “I think we’ve got to be bold and innovative.”

Really, one public meeting? How’d we get to this point?

The process was hush-hush — at Phoenix’s insistence. The for-profit university made U of I and State Board officials agree to keep negotiations under wraps.

With the secrecy came a sketchy timeline. At first, U of I officials said Phoenix had approached them in March — but this was contradicted by the university’s own internal documents, obtained by Idaho EdNews through a public records request. (The U of I later changed its story, and said the discussions began in February.)

This much is clear: the State Board held three closed-door meetings to talk about the purchase. Board members have said much about these “executive sessions” — including a May 15 meeting that came only three days before they approved the deal. It took a series of court depositions to shed some light on the details. (Click here for our in-depth coverage.)

The State Board is on board. But there are skeptics, right?

Absolutely. It’s a pretty long list, from across the political spectrum.

Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls

State legislators — who weren’t briefed on the deal until May 17 — have openly grumbled about being cut out of the loop. A skeptical Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee peppered Green with questions during a probing hearing in June. “We feel we should have been involved in that process,” said Sen. C. Scott Grow, R-Eagle, the committee’s co-chair. “We see that this transaction has potential, but we also see that it has risk,” said Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, Grow’s House counterpart. “We want to trust but we must verify.”
Within about 24 hours — after the proposal went public, and before the May 18 State Board vote — board members received more than two dozen emails urging them to vote no or go slow. Some of these emails came from U of I faculty, staff or alumni. (The board received just one email in support, from a U of I professor.)
Three Democratic U.S. senators — Richard Durbin of Illinois, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut — urged the U of I to walk away from the deal. The lawmakers decried Phoenix’s “long record of poor student outcomes, deception of veterans, and entanglements in federal investigations and enforcement actions.” A testy Gov. Brad Little fired off a letter telling the senators to butt out and focus on passing federal budgets and securing the border.

State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth

Other state officials are more skeptical than Little. State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth, a Republican, has questioned whether the purchase could jeopardize the state’s lofty credit rating. And Attorney General Raúl Labrador, perhaps Little’s most prominent rival within the GOP, is trying to torpedo the purchase in court.

What are the grounds for the lawsuit?

It all goes back to the State Board’s three closed meetings. The board cited a section of state law, which allows closed-door discussions of negotiations that pits Idaho against public agencies from out of state.

Attorney General Raúl Labrador

It’s an open meetings lawsuit, a civil complaint. But Labrador has made no secret of his distaste for the Phoenix purchase. The June 20 lawsuit decries the state’s rush “to acquire a for-profit college beset with financial, moral and legal challenges.”

The political stakes also transcend the open meetings dispute itself. Both sides agree that the lawsuit could stymie the Phoenix deal. If Labrador wins, the State Board’s May 18 vote will be voided. Not surprisingly, the State Board and its hired attorney are launching an all-out and spendy defense against Labrador’s lawsuit.

What are the lawyers arguing over?

Competition.

The lawsuit challenges an underpinning of the closed meetings: the assertion that the U of I was in competition with other would-be Phoenix buyers.

U of I and State Board officials have stood by their narrative, but they have never offered any specifics.

Labrador’s team is skeptical — especially because the University of Arkansas’ board of trustees voted in April to walk away from a Phoenix purchase.

Ada County District Judge Jason Scott has rejected several of Labrador’s legal arguments, except for the competition question. A trial is scheduled for Jan. 22.

Is this the only obstacle facing the purchase?

No. The lawsuit is definitely a hurdle, but not the final one.

Financing is a big obstacle. Four Three will have to go into the market to secure bonds for Phoenix financing. Green has said he hopes Four Three can sell bonds early next year, but the lawsuit more or less puts financing on hold.

The U of I also needs signoff from its accrediting body, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Phoenix’s accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission, endorsed the deal earlier this month.

What’s the timeline for all of this to happen?

The U of I and Phoenix hope to close the deal early next year.

If that doesn’t happen, there is an opt-out date. Either party could walk away from the table after May 31.

This week’s quiz

Idaho EdNews Staff — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 19:32:50 +0000

Let’s see if you’ve been reading our newsletter.

Parent-hosted podcast seeks to demystify the educational landscape and unite communities

Katie McGuire — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 18:16:25 +0000

Whether it’s explaining complex education policies, informing school board voting choices or exploring lesser-known school programs, the new, “Our Kids, Our Schools” podcast seeks to tackle the intricacies of education in Idaho.

Alexis Morgan

Hosted by Alexis Morgan, a passionate education expert and parent of four, the podcast aims to educate and empower community members to “be engaged and part of making a positive impact” within their local school communities. Morgan articulated her desire to use her podcast to inform, not persuade. “[The] different perspectives that we have within a community are valuable. If I can just give people the information that will help them make an informed decision… then that’s going to resonate more with people. We want to make our own choices.”

In addition to serving as President of the Idaho PTA (Parent Teacher Association), Morgan completed her undergraduate degree in secondary education, has a master’s degree in Adult Organizational Learning & Leadership and is working on a PhD in Public Policy and Administration. She served as school board director for four years, worked as a substitute teacher and is the parent to four school-aged children. In Morgan’s various roles in education, she explained she often would get phone calls from confused parents asking her questions. Intrigued, she started searching for parent-run resources about Idaho education. Finding only scattered information, she decided to start the “Our Kids, Our Schools” podcast. She hopes to inform not only parents but also other community members, as Morgan strongly believes “a school community is also our business owners and workers, professionals, community public service workers, community leaders and politicians, and taxpayers. All of these groups contribute to the health of our school community.”

Community members face various obstacles to accessing relevant education information, according to Morgan. Many lack time, especially those in single parent households or where both parents work demanding jobs. However, the complexity of the education system is another barrier. Morgan gave the example of talking to an administrator to clarify some confusion she had about the new grading system at her child’s school. She explained to the administrator, “I am a parent that [studied] education…I’ve invested a lot of time to understand [education], and this is even challenging for me to understand. Now imagine the rest of the parents in the school district trying to navigate this idea.” Morgan aims to bridge gaps in understanding through “Our Kids, Our Schools.” She also hopes the podcast helps relieve some of the many tasks on the to-do lists of teachers and administrators.

“Our Kids, Our Schools” has already received plenty of positive feedback, including Morgan gaining @totallyboise as a sponsor. She hopes the podcast will reach people all across the state of Idaho.

“I would love for this idea to grow into something that fills the state,” she explained. “That people who care about the overall health of our school communities use ‘Our Kids, Our Schools’ to help create good change within their communities around the state.”

Morgan released her fourth podcast episode on Tuesday about parent and school communication. The podcast is available on all major streaming platforms, new episodes come out the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Click here to watch and listen. Or click here to visit Morgan’s website.

Alexis Morgan and her family

NIC trustees quickly — and unanimously — make leadership change

Kevin Richert — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 17:19:08 +0000

North Idaho College trustees made another leadership change last week — but this one came without fireworks.

They voted 5-0 to switch board chairs, selecting Mike Waggoner to replace Greg McKenzie.

Mike Waggoner

Waggoner, elected in November 2022, is a political ally of McKenzie and trustee Todd Banducci. All three have run with the backing of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, comprising a majority bloc on an often-divided board of trustees.

But on Nov. 20, the motion for a change came from a trustee who is often at odds with the central committee-backed bloc.

“Board leadership and board governance continues to be a problem,” said trustee Tarie Zimmerman, noting the continuing accreditation questions that plague NIC.

Zimmerman praised Waggoner’s work and preparation on the trustees’ policy committee. “He can grab us all together and develop some consensus.”

Waggoner quickly expressed his interest in the move.

“I think I can add some value here,” he said. “We need unity and collaboration among our board members and the administration.”

McKenzie then voiced his support, saying Waggoner “would make a great chair.”

After the unanimous vote, Waggoner and McKenzie switched spots at the dais.

“Come take a seat,” McKenzie said to Waggoner, to some applause from the audience.

More details on the meeting from KREM TV in Spokane, Wash.

Chronic absenteeism is declining — but nearly 53K Idaho students are habitually absent

Carly Flandro — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 19:56:13 +0000

More than 52,000 Idaho students were consistently absent from school last year.

Still, the figure is an improvement — it’s about 12,000 fewer students than the year before.

Chronic absenteeism also dropped in most of the state’s largest districts and in most student subgroups.

But absenteeism levels are still not as low as they were in 2020-21, the first year the State Department of Education began tracking chronic absenteeism — which is defined as missing 10% or more school days. On average, most Idaho students attend about 160 days of school each year, so that equates to about 16 days or more of missed classes (more than three weeks).

To see the chronic absenteeism rate at your school or district, go here. You can also explore this data at idahoschools.org.

And those days matter, according to the national nonprofit Attendance Works: “While chronic absence presents academic challenges for students not in class, when it reaches high levels in a classroom or school, all students may suffer because the resulting classroom churn hampers teachers’ ability to engage all students and meet their learning needs.”

And habitual student absences are often indicative of deeper issues like health problems, lack of transportation, and food insecurity, according to Attendance Works.

Read on for a look at chronic absenteeism rates statewide, by districts and charters, by large districts, and by student subgroups.

Statewide Chronic Absenteeism

Year	% of students chronically absent	Number of students chronically absent
22-23	17.1	About 52,500
21-22	20.6	About 64,700
20-21	15.1	About 45,400

Highest absenteeism rates among nontraditional local education agencies/charters

Local Education Agency	% of students chronically absent
Pinecrest Academy of Idaho	>97%
Cardinal Academy Incorporated	83.3
Idaho STEM Academy	44.1
McCall Community Charter	39.5
Canyon-Owyhee Service Agency (COSSA)	35.2
Monticello Montessori Charter	34.2
Alturas Preparatory Academy	33.6
Sandpoint Charter	33.5
Peace Valley Charter	32.9
Project Impact Stem Academy	30.2

Highest absenteeism rates among traditional school districts

District	% of students chronically absent
Council	53.9
Plummer-Worley	52
Wilder	44.9
Lapwai	39.4
Salmon River	35.2
Horseshoe Bend	32.9
Garden Valley	31.9
Caldwell	31.1
Salmon	31.1
Basin	30.6

Highest absenteeism rates among individual schools

Council Elementary, Council	86
Cardinal Academy	83.3
Canyon Springs High, Caldwell	80.2
Frank Church High, Boise	78.1
Central Academy High, West Ada	75
Fruitland Preparatory Academy	70
Empower Connections Academy	68.6
Lake Pend Oreille High, LPO	68
Meridian Academy, West Ada	65.5
Silver Creek High, Blaine County	64.7
Lincoln High, Bonneville	62.9

Absenteeism rates at the state’s largest traditional districts

Increases in chronic absenteeism from the prior year are marked in red, decreases in green.

District	20-21: % of students chronically absent	21-22: % of students chronically absent	22-23: % of students chronically absent
Bonneville	13.8	19	16.9
West Ada	13.5	26	18.6
Twin Falls	19.4	25	19.7
Idaho Falls	18.7	20	19.8
Coeur d’Alene	13.3	14	22.2
Boise	18	30	23.7
Vallivue	32.1	34	23.6
Nampa	15.8	31	24.4
Pocatello	35	25	Unclear at this time

Absenteeism rates by student subgroups

Increases in chronic absenteeism from the prior year are marked in red, decreases in green.

Student Group	20-21: % of students chronically absent	21-22: % of students chronically absent	22-23: % of students chronically absent
Native American or Alaskan Native	32.8	31	25.1
Black/African American	22.1	22	18.1
Asian	9.2	14	13
White	13	18	15.5
Hispanic or Latino	21.9	28	22.4
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander	26.4	29	24.7
Multiracial	16.8	24	20.5
Students from low income families	22.3	29	22.3
Students learning English	22.4	29	23.6
Students with disabilities	22.9	30	25.2
Students in foster care	24.2	28	20.4
Students who are homeless	36.3	41	35
Students from military families	10.1	17	17.3
Students from migrant families	25.9	33	24.2

Idaho Education News data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report.

Lessons learned in Alaska

Clete Edmunson — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 19:15:11 +0000

Three months ago I loaded up my truck and camp trailer, said goodbye to my family, friends and my Idaho home, then started the long drive of over 2,500 miles north to the tiny little school in the community of Slana, Alaska. I had no idea what to expect, what my exact job description was or even where I was going to live. I drove for five long days with only my two dogs and my thoughts to keep me company. With every mile north, I questioned myself, my reasoning, and my sanity, having no idea what waited for me up in the far north.

I had been told that Slana was a tiny K-12 school that was struggling to keep the minimum of ten students enrolled, which the state of Alaska requires for funding. I was assured they would keep it open this year for sure, and was guaranteed a paycheck for the next 10 months, so not really knowing for sure what I was getting myself into, I continued up the ALCAN highway towards my destination. After a year of being embroiled in a losing battle, I needed to find myself again, to find clarity in purpose and to find a place where I hoped to get back to the basics of education, a place where we all worked together as a team to do what’s best for our kids.

Arriving in Slana that Sunday morning was a great start. There were no stores, no gas stations, not even any local government, other than a tiny little post office, but what I found was the nicest bunch of people I have had the pleasure of knowing. They have restored my faith in humanity and in the kindness of strangers. They were so appreciative that I had chosen to come to Slana and welcomed me with open arms, dinner invitations and instant friendships. They were all hoping that I was there to help them save their school, adding that they had prayed for my arrival that morning and when they found out I had eight grandkids, they had hoped I was bringing them with me! I had to inform them that grandma Shelly wasn’t going to let those eight grandkids move to Alaska, but I reassured them I would do everything in my power to help them keep their school open. What I didn’t tell them, from what I already knew, is that the prognosis didn’t look good.

Slana School sits off the Tok Cutoff Highway, 260 miles northeast of Anchorage. It is part of the Copper River School District (CRSD). CRSD is headquartered in Glennallen next to the Glennallen K-12 school. CRSD also consists of the Slana School 75 miles to the Northeast and Kenny Lake School 40 miles to the south. Twenty years ago, CRSD was a thriving school district with 8 schools and enrollment of over 500 students. Today it is a school district of three schools with declining enrollment, struggling to survive.

The declining enrollment can be attributed to several factors; political, economic, geographic and Covid related. During the 1970’s, the big population surge was due mostly to the construction of the oil pipeline from Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope down to Valdez on the Prince William Sound. The pipeline was constructed right through the Copper River Valley and provided much needed jobs for those living in that area. Since that time there has been a steady decline as jobs become more scarce, cost of living increases, and the price of fuel to commute the long distances to jobs have led to more people leaving the area for bigger cities like Anchorage or the Palmer-Wasilla area.

The community of Slana has a unique history with the distinction of being part of the last homesteading in America. In the early 1980’s the BLM opened up 40,250 acres of public lands in three final blocks of federal lands for homesteading. In 1983 they opened up 10,250 acres of federal land to homesteaders in the flat that became known as the Slana settlement. This created 119 homesite patents, 30 headquarter patents and 8 trade and manufacture site patents. Both Oprah Winfrey, on her TV show and Paul Harvey, on his radio program discussed the end of homesteading in Alaska and what a historic milestone this was, which had the effect of drawing hundreds of people to the quiet community of Slana.

This influx of people had both positive and negative effects for the community and brought forth varying opinions from the locals. More families arriving meant more students for the school which helped the community lobby for a new school building, a dream of many that was realized in 1992 with the construction of a new school with three classrooms, a small gym and a kitchen with cafeteria. The school opened to much fanfare with 42 students during that first year. Sadly, the population boom was short-lived. By 1998 the student population had fallen to 20, and ever since it has hovered between 10-15 students every year.

This year the Slana School started with 10 students enrolled, which dropped to seven when three students opted to enroll in Upstream Learning, and there is a strong likelihood of finishing the year with only five. The District will be forced to make the tough decision of shutting down yet another of its rural schools and what was once a district with eight schools will be down to only two. Remaining students living in Slana, Chistochina and the surrounding areas will have to ride the bus to Glenallen, go online or homeschool.

Effects of government decisions could have devastating effects far down the line. For every action taken by political leaders, there is an equal and opposite reaction happening out in the schools. If schools are consolidated or shut down, such as Slana, there is a long three hour round trip bus ride every day to add to an already long school day. Special Education services will also still need to be offered and there are other factors to consider as well.

I came to Alaska not wanting a fight, but this fight in Slana was not mine to have. Mrs. Bates has spent the last 35 years, almost half of her life, fighting for Slana School and the kids in the community. Starting her Alaska teaching career in 1988 in a one room school, which at that time was located on the property she owns today with her husband. Every year she fought to get a “real” school built and every year she lost the fight, until 1992 when political leaders and the school district came together with the funding to build the Slana School. And every year since, as enrollment has hovered near the magic mark of 10 students, Mrs. Bates has led the fight to keep the school open and she has no intention of backing down now, even at the age of 75. Her passion and strength are admirable. Every morning she puts on her insulated pants and winter coat, walks the mile to the schoolhouse, sometimes in 40 below weather, and every morning when she gets to school she will call her husband to let him know she wasn’t attacked by a bear, moose or any other wild animal. She stands about five feet nothing, with a quiet voice and a huge heart, but is tough as nails, which I’m thinking explains the lack of attacks by wild animals. In just three short months she has helped me find the clarity, regain my focus, and most importantly she has made me realize that whether you are in a very large district with thousands of students or in Slana, Alaska with 10, our kids are always, and I mean always, worth the fight.

Bedke resists ‘burn-it-down’ mentality

Chuck Malloy — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 19:00:23 +0000

It wasn’t long ago when now-Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke was part of a House leadership team that was widely viewed as one of the most conservative in Idaho’s history. Across the rotunda, there was now-Gov. Brad Little who generally was preaching the same conservative gospel in the Senate.

I worked as communication adviser with the House GOP caucus at the time, with Lawerence Denney as speaker, Mike Moyle as majority leader, Ken Roberts as caucus chair and Bedke as assistant majority leader. And there was never a question about their conservative credentials. The mild-mannered Denney was labeled as “Boss Denney” by some media outlets for supposedly forcing through his conservative ways. Bedke, who later served 10 years as speaker, was a good fit for that group.

“And now we’re not viewed as conservative enough? Give me a break,” Bedke told me in a recent visit at his Statehouse office.

The Idaho Freedom Foundation, the Legislature’s Freedom Caucus and others to the right will say that Bedke – and Little’s administration as a whole — is not conservative enough. They’ll say that government spending and taxes are too high, and at least some conservatives go as far as labeling “establishment” Republicans as RINOs.

Bedke will be hearing plenty of “RINO talk” in a few years if he ends up running for governor. For now, he’s not shy about defending what Republicans have accomplished over the last three decades and gives props to Little’s leadership.

“He’s a good administrator and a good governor who cares deeply about the state,” Bedke says. “The proof is in the pudding. We’ve had decades of traditional conservative leadership here in the state and created a state where everybody wants to move to. Our economy is unrivaled; it’s the fastest-growing state and quickest to recover (from downturns). And now we criticize the people in the offices that have been integral in making Idaho the success that it is. That doesn’t make sense to me.”

In Bedke’s eyes, policies have reflected Idaho values. “It’s hard work. It’s pay as you go. It’s being careful with the taxpayers’ money. And we’ve been discovered. That turns out to be a pretty dang good way to manage the state. It’s a good place to raise a family, a great place to have a business and the quality of life is unmatched. That’s not to say there are things that we can’t improve on, but the success that we enjoy now is directly attributable to the decades of traditional conservative approach to government. And now that’s not good enough?”

As for his personal “conservative” values, he said, “there’s no question where I stand, and there’s no question where I stand on guns. Do I wear it on my sleeve? No. Do I demagogue that for short-term political gain? No. But don’t take my guns away and stay out of my family life. If the indicator is going to be my position on God and country, or Second Amendment, or lightest touch of government … those are Republican values that I will not deviate from and never have. I believe I can match my Republican credentials with anyone in the state.”

The state Republican Party, which once served as cheerleaders for GOP officeholders, is now calling out incumbents to not adhering to certain standards.

“The paint job is ‘Idaho GOP,’ but the mechanics are burn-it-down libertarian and I think Idahoans will see through that,” Bedke says. “They are criticizing arguably one of the most successful systems of states out there.”

Since taking office in January, Bedke has kept a relatively low profile – at least compared to his predecessor, former Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin. Bedke has been traveling to all parts of the Gem State and taking some time off to manage affairs at his Oakley ranch. He talks to groups about Idaho’s success story, while giving a friendly plug to Idaho’s “LAUNCH” grants aimed at helping Idaho high school students get into trade programs.

Critics label the program as “socialistic,” but Bedke says, “I’m a big fan.” He says it’s one way that students can learn a trade, find a job and stay in Idaho – opposed to fleeing the state after graduation.

As Bedke sees it, that’s a winning formula for all – and from a conservative standpoint, a wise return on the state’s investment.

Chuck Malloy is a long-time Idaho journalist and columnist. He may be reached at ctmalloy@outlook.com

Here are the highest-paid K-12 school administrators in Idaho

Ryan Suppe — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 18:35:51 +0000

Idaho for the first time has two school administrators earning more than $200,000 annually.

Derek Bub, superintendent for the West Ada School District, earns $214,965, and Coby Dennis, superintendent for the Boise School District, makes $204,337 per year, according to data compiled by the State Board of Education.

Bub’s salary jumped from $175,000 to $210,000 last school year, followed by a roughly $5,000 raise this year. Dennis’ pay surpassed the $200,000 mark this year, after he previously earned $191,866.

Derek Bub

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West Ada Superintendent Derek Bub

The data also shows that administrator salaries increased statewide for the third year in a row. For the 2023-2024 school year, administrators on average are earning $107,000. That’s up $375 since last year.

Aside from a slight dip in 2020-2021, administrator salaries have increased every year since 2015-2016, when the average pay was $85,264. Wages went up more than 25% during that period.

The average salary has fallen short of the pace of inflation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ inflation calculator. A $85,264 salary in October 2015 has the same buying power as $110,299 in October 2023.

Idaho’s largest school districts, such as West Ada, Boise and Coeur d’Alene, are well represented among the highest paid administrators. But size isn’t the only factor determining higher salaries.

Scott Thomson, executive director of the North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, was formally the highest paid administrator in the state and this year his $197,600 annual salary ranks third.

Here are the top 10 administrator salaries, which does not include benefit compensation:

$214,965 – Derek Bub, West Ada
$204,337 – Coby Dennis, Boise
$197,600 – Scott Thomson, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy
$195,758 – Shon Hocker, Coeur d’Alene
$183,200 – Becky Meyer, Lake Pend Oreille
$180,000 – Jim Foudy, Blaine County
$180,000 – Jason Bransford, Gem Prep: Online
$177,944 – Shalene French, Caldwell
$176,306 – Lisa Roberts, Boise
$174,096 – Dena Naccarato, Post Falls

Superintendents earn about $8,600 more than other administrators, such as principals or department directors. Click here for a full list of superintendent and charter school director salaries for each Idaho school district.

Briefs: News from around the state

Darren Svan — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 17:30:37 +0000

Outstanding STEM teachers earn Sawtooth Awards

Idaho STEM Action Center honored educators Misti Newby and Chad Maxton with the 2023 Sawtooth STEM Educator Awards for championing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and integrating real-world experiences and hands-on activities into their classrooms.

Idaho STEM Action Center is an education and growth catalyst helping educators, businesses, families, and communities prepare the workforce of tomorrow. You can learn more at stem.idaho.gov.

“These educators represent the dedication and innovation needed to prepare students and our communities for the challenges of the future,” Gov. Brad Little said. “Thank you to these outstanding educators for inspiring them to embrace innovation, collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking.”

Newby, the winner in the K-6 category, teaches science and STEM in grades 1-8 at Grace Joint School District. She also serves as the Eastern Idaho school district’s girls wrestling coach along with her husband, James, who coaches the boys team. This is her sixth year at Black Canyon Elementary School in Grace and her 19th year teaching. As the only female science teacher in the district, Newby serves as an important role model for girls interested in science and STEM, according to her colleagues.

Maxton, the Sawtooth Awards winner in the 7-12 category, is known throughout the Caldwell School District for his tireless efforts to expand STEM opportunities. Maxton teaches math, social studies, and pre-engineering to students in grades 6-8 at Syringa Middle School. He has served as a teacher for 32 years, spending all of them in Caldwell.

Both educators will receive checks for $2,000 and up to $2,000 more to attend any STEM-related national conference, plus their schools will receive $2,000 each to fund STEM initiatives.

Superintendent hosts new education-focused podcast programs

Parents can learn about important education topics through the Idaho Department of Education’s new podcast called “The Super in 10.”

Superintendent Debbie Critchfield will explore various topics like community schools, data in education and strategic planning. A two-part episode features a conversation with Idaho State Police Director Col. Kedrick Wills on the danger that fentanyl poses. Other guests include Marsing School District Superintendent Norm Stewart and Ryan Cantrell, chief deputy superintendent at the Idaho Department of Education.

“The podcast is designed for parents, educators, administrators, policymakers and any Idahoan with an interest in education,” Critchfield said. “I hope to engage the state in a discussion about a wide variety of important topics, and do it in a way that’s informative and convenient at the same time.”

The department released the first five episodes this month, each about 10 minutes in length. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify. They are also available to stream on the department’s website as well as its YouTube channel.

14 schools get USDA grant funds for kitchen equipment

The Department of Education has awarded $129,459 in federal grant funding through its Child Nutrition Programs to help 14 schools to purchase new equipment for their breakfast programs.

The department received the funding through the United States Department of Agriculture Equipment Assistance Grant. Individual grant awards will fund new equipment including freezers, ovens, refrigerators, mixers and dishwashers.

Schools receiving 2023 grant awards include:

Fruitland High School: milk cooler, $2,299.
Payette Food Service warehouse: refrigeration unit, $9,426.
Upriver School: electric cook/holding oven, $12,158.
MacKay School District: reach-in refrigerator, $5,493.
Lakeside Middle/High school: high temperature dishwasher, $12,733.
Meadows Valley School: reach-in refrigerator, $3,166.
Orofino District: counterbalance walkie reach truck, $16,680.
Elevate Nampa: fridge/freezer combo, $4,628.
Westside High School: mixer, $11,010.
Jefferson Middle School: dishwasher , $13,826.
Carey School: electric convection oven, $12,085.
Valley School District: heated holding/proofing cabinet, $2,408.
Northwest Children’s Home: gas oven, $7,218.
West Ada: outdoor walk-in freezer, $16,325.

Giving back: Vandal student-athletes are big brothers in Moscow

Darren Svan — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 17:23:45 +0000

Twice a month, the University of Idaho basketball team spends time at John Russell Elementary School mentoring young students by talking about healthy habits and attending college, and also hanging out on the basketball court.

MOSCOW — It’s hard to believe a standout Vandal basketball player like the imposing 6-foot-7-inch, 220-pound freshman forward Takai Hardy was ignored at recess by his elementary school classmates.

But he was. And that childhood experience helps him connect with young people going through something similar.

Hardy is one of 17 Vandal players spending time with fifth graders at John Russell Elementary School through a mentoring program created by Alex Pribble, University of Idaho head men’s basketball coach.

Takai Hardy

“The mentoring program is very valuable to me because it’s an opportunity to help make a child’s day better… It also reminds me of my early childhood. My favorite part of the program is going out to recess and being there for children who don’t have anyone to play with or talk to. These moments are very impactful to me because at one point I was one of those kids,” Hardy reflected, after meeting with students.

Pribble wants all of his student-athletes to be leaders off the court, and that means learning how to make the people around you better. “This mentoring program is a great opportunity,” he said.

Principal Marianne Sletteland took a chance on Pribble’s players, opening her school to his College Headed and Making Progress (CHAMPS) program. Players meet with 15 students twice a month to help build healthy life habits and help get them excited about the prospect of attending college.

“Every time Vandal players come into this building, I am always greeted personally by every single one of them. It shows that positive behavior that all of our kids need to see. They’re quite the gentlemen,” Sletteland said.

Click to view slideshow.

These athletes are taking the opportunity to use their platform to impact the local community is transformative for young players.

Players spend about 40 minutes paired up with a fifth grader, talking about their personal lives and family, their favorite subjects in school, holiday traditions, personal heroes, and a pre-selected theme, like friendship: What does it mean to you? Do you think you’re a friendly person? Who is the friendliest person you know?

During their one-on-one interactions, they talk about compliments they’ve received, compliments they’ve given to others and the things people say when they aren’t being a good friend.

Although they are busy with basketball and college classes, they look forward to this time, Pribble said. “Our players love it.”

Miles Klapper, a freshman guard from California, said the “program is an extremely valuable experience because it allows me to be a part of something bigger than myself and make a real and impactful change in the community. I am able to build a relationship with a kid and help influence him in a positive way.”

But this is a group of young athletes and energetic kids, so understandably the playground and basketball court is pretty popular — basketball, football, tetherball, four-square, and even invented games.

“My favorite part about the program is being able to play outside with the kids and see them smiling and having fun. It brings me back to my childhood and inspires me to be the best role model I can be,” Klapper said.

Sletteland worked with her staff to identify students who would benefit from the big brother relationship: students who are usually alone and who may avoid conversations with peers.

“We looked at kids who needed that connection and somebody to look up to,” she said. “They have been engaged every time they’ve been here. It’s just a tremendous, wonderful thing to see that happen — that dedicated attention to each other.”

As a first-year principal, Sletteland made a goal of connecting with community resources, and U of I — especially the athletic department — has always been one for the community. “So I know how important those are to a lot of our local kids. Then coach Pribble brought this opportunity and then we ran with it. They love it.”

Many of the players are not from Idaho and Sletteland believes they’re gaining “insight” about the struggles some families face.

“My school is unique in that we have a higher free and reduced lunch rate. So we have some families who struggle financially and a good portion of the kids that they’re working with are in those families,” she said.

Tre Blassingame, a 6-foot-4-inch guard from Washington, said, “I feel CHAMPS is valuable because it gives me an opportunity to have a positive impact in a child’s life and it also helps me be grateful for my own family and my own blessings.”

As the players leave, Sletteland said they usually part with the same farewell message: “They always say, ‘goodbye, big people,’ and then they yell, ‘goodbye, little people.’ It’s just a heartwarming thing to watch.”

Carnival event brings awareness to free afterschool programs

Katie McGuire — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 17:00:26 +0000

Families from Nampa and the surrounding areas celebrated afterschool programs last month at a carnival-themed event in honor of “Lights on Afterschool,” a national October awareness campaign observed annually by over 1 million Americans.

The State Department of Education (SDE) spearheaded the event in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club of Canyon County, Treasure Valley YMCA and Idaho Out-of-School Network. The 177 student attendees, family members and prominent community leaders participated in fun activities like taking pictures in photo booths, face painting, dancing, and creating air cannons, rubber band guitars and catapults.

State superintendent Debbie Critchfield attended the event and reminded Idahoans in a speech that thanks to 21st Century Community Learning Center Programs, 6,700 Idaho students per year benefit from free out-of-school care. Run by the SDE, this program receives over $6 million federal dollars annually as part of Title IV, Part B to provide grants to organizations participating in out-of-school care. This out-of-school care can include programs before and after school and on weekends as well. According to program coordinator Sheena Strickler, events like “Lights on Afterschool” help students who participate in afterschool activities realize they are part of a larger community, that “there are students doing the same thing across the state and across the nation.”

Usually out-of-school programs would require funding from participants; however, school districts and community organizations can apply for 21st Century Grants to provide free out-of-school services to certain groups, including families who need extra academic or economic support throughout Idaho. For example, one elementary school in Idaho received a grant for all the students in its boundaries (including homeschooled and private school students) to get free out- of-school services from their partner, the Boys and Girls Club of Canyon County. There were 46 subgrantees this year.

Keisha Hernandez, a senior in high school who has participated in afterschool programs for many years, related her gratitude for these programs. “Equality is something so meaningful to me. And it’s something after school programs [promote]. You become part of not only an organization, but a family.” 21st Century Program specialist Christian Brown who has worked with these programs for over 16 years said, “[The students] feel a sense of belonging, and it’s a safe place that they can be every day…they just don’t want to leave because it’s so important to them. You see these kids down the road years later, and they still talk about everything that they did….and learned and the impact it had.”

Those working in the programs see gratitude from parents as well. Strickler exclaimed, “I can’t tell you how many times parents would come up just in tears that their kids made some kind of breakthrough, being kind to their brother or sister or helping out or leading or just feeling confident to go to school, to do math. And so, that’s what keeps me going…being able to support the whole family, not just the student.”

Strickler emphasized that many more students could benefit from 21st Century programs; for every five applications submitted, only two can be funded because of budget limitations. Michelle Clement Taylor, director for school choice and student engagement for SDE reaffirmed this, explaining that often the alternative to out-of-school care is students staying home alone rather than having outside educational and social experiences.

According to available data from the SDE, students participating in these programs show improvement in many areas including growth in reading assessments, grades, GPA, behavior and attendance. Over 90% of students showed an increased engagement with learning after attending their program.

Strickler applauded the amazing work done by directors and employees of community organizations like Boys and Girls Clubs, who “truly want the best for their students, parents, families and communities.” “You can have funding,” she explained, “but if you don’t have the dedicated, passionate professionals in these kiddos’ lives, none of that funding is going to make a difference. So, it’s really our programs and directors that make that difference.” Strickler and her team hope to continue holding events like this carnival to bring awareness to out-of-school activities.

Idaho Education News

Fall IRI Top 10 Lists: Treasure Valley schools reign

Standardized tests in Idaho make quite the alphabet soup: There’s ISAT, IRI, AP, SAT, PSAT, and NAEP exams. Check out our explanatory guide to make sense of it all.

First consider some caveats

Top performers: Traditional schools

Top performers: Charter, magnet and nontraditional schools

Top performers: Traditional districts

Top performers: Nontraditional local education agencies

Largest traditional districts, ranked

Divided and disenchanted: Why a rural Idaho community refuses to fund education

Mountain View School District schools: Grangeville Elementary/Middle; Grangeville High; Clearwater Valley High; Clearwater Valley Elementary; Elk City School

A community divided — and disenchanted

Mountain View School District by the numbers: Total students: 1,169 Grangeville students: 838 Clearwater Valley/Elk City students: 331

A new superintendent is hopeful for a levy success story

Community schools, not vouchers, are the way forward in Idaho

Lawmaker: ‘Rational people’ need to step up in GOP

Millions to flow to rural career-technical education programs

Where is the ICRS money going?

The ICRS council

Pocatello-Chubbuck to offer a regional CTE center

Are CTE teacher endorsements increasing?

The following lists detail the $35.9 million approved by the ICRS council

Charter commission names new director

Education leaders embrace proposal for Idaho-based paraprofessional exam

Four teachers punished for violating Idaho’s Code of Ethics

Current administrative complaints

Executive committee recommendations

Runoff elections set a higher standard

Episode 94: Boise State’s capital campaign … and more

Charter commission approves undisclosed offer for unnamed director candidate

Analysis: The State Board will have to settle a messy higher ed turf battle

Fall reading scores show steady improvement — but 38,000 kids are still behind

Standardized tests in Idaho make quite the alphabet soup: There’s ISAT, IRI, AP, SAT, PSAT and NAEP exams. Check out our explanatory guide to help make sense of it all.

Since the pandemic, fall reading scores have been mixed

Two student cohorts’ reading scores have shot up since kindergarten

Data shows overall growth, with summer declines

Spelling it Out: Standardized Tests

Spelling it Out: Standardized Tests

ISAT

IRI

SAT

PSAT/NMSQT

AP

NAEP

Have something you'd like spelled out?

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Empower Idaho’s students through enhanced educational freedom

Magic Valley superintendent receives buyout after disagreement with trustees

Agreement spells out separation payment

Trustee reelected after initial results voided

Federal complaint: Idaho’s special education manual is out of compliance

U of I demands $2,400 to review — and perhaps release — Phoenix public records

What we know about ‘Project Neptune’

EdNews’ records request

Public records issues at Boise State

Bedke codes with kids for Computer Science Education Week

Idaho must conduct adequacy study as part of public school funding modernization

Idaho groups aims to understand, address youth mental health issues

GOP lawmakers get no love back home

Attorneys general seek to block Idaho transgender bathroom law

Did new school facilities funding lower property taxes? It depends

How much will taxpayers actually save?

Property tax bills show savings

Lawmakers want to see results

Episode 19: Meeting Idaho’s 2024 Teacher of the Year, Trent Van Leuven

After a fire and an election loss, Pocatello school leaders consider running another bond

Importance of open government laws on display with shocking stories

Analysis: Another high-stakes Idaho election is off to a spendy start

Who is giving money — and why

Where the money is going

Why now?

The final five: Idaho State presidential field narrows

Idaho Gov. Brad Little says state is well-prepared for uncertain economic future

Governor touts Idaho Launch program as way to meet the needs of in-demand careers

Officials highlight Idaho past budget surpluses

Commission releases names of finalists, but not their professional backgrounds

The three candidates

Monday’s executive session

U.S. education secretary visits Boise schools to announce grant, discuss mental health

Panel touts value of community schools

Mountain View School District by the numbers:
Total students: 1,169
Grangeville students: 838
Clearwater Valley/Elk City students: 331

Standardized tests in Idaho make quite the alphabet soup: There’s ISAT, IRI, AP, SAT, PSAT and NAEP exams.
Check out our explanatory guide to help make sense of it all.