Ryan Suppe and Kevin Richert, Author at Idaho Education News https://www.idahoednews.org/author/ryan-suppe-and-kevin-richert/ If it matters to education, it matters to us Thu, 01 Feb 2024 21:34:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.2 https://www.idahoednews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Idaho-ed-square2-200x200.png Ryan Suppe and Kevin Richert, Author at Idaho Education News https://www.idahoednews.org/author/ryan-suppe-and-kevin-richert/ 32 32 106871567 Statehouse roundup, 2.1.24: Budget committee agrees on 3% employee raises https://www.idahoednews.org/top-news/statehouse-roundup-2-1-24-budget-committee-agrees-on-3-employee-raises/ Thu, 01 Feb 2024 20:30:31 +0000 https://www.idahoednews.org/?p=88863 The Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee settled on 3% state employee raises Thursday. 

That decision will affect state college and university wages but not K-12 school salaries, which are set locally. Higher education institutions also supplement salaries with tuition and fee revenue. 

JFAC lawmakers unanimously voted to give state workers 1% raises, across the board, along with 2% merit-based increases. Agency heads will have the discretion to distribute the merit-based funds. 

The state government is Idaho’s largest employer, with roughly 25,000 employees. The Thursday vote concurred with the Legislature’s Change in Employee Compensation Committee recommendation on pay increases. 

The budget committee earlier this month included 1% across-the-board raises in agencies’ “maintenance budgets” — benchmark appropriations that exclude agency requests for new spending. The additional 2% merit raises will be incorporated in final budgets, which will be set in the coming weeks.

Sen. C. Scott Grow, R-Eagle

Employee compensation was one of two statewide decisions that JFAC had yet to settle before it sets final budgets. Still-outstanding is a revenue projection, which will limit how much the committee spends. 

But the employee raise decision allows JFAC to move forward with final budget-setting, starting Friday. 

“We needed this action today before we can set any more budgets,” said JFAC Co-chair Sen. C. Scott Grow, R-Eagle. 

IEA: Guns-in-schools bill is unsafe, unnecessary

A day after the House passed a bill that would allow more teachers to carry weapons in school, the state’s teachers’ union is stepping up its opposition to the idea.

In a letter to senators Thursday, the Idaho Education Association said House Bill 415 would allow untrained employees and volunteers to carry in school, which could put students at risk of an accidental shooting.

“Alternative solutions that do not involve arming school employees can be explored to address any concerns related to school safety,” said the letter, co-signed by IEA President Layne McInelly and its 27-member board of directors. “The status quo adequately meets the school district and community needs to keep students safe.”

Backed by the National Rifle Association, HB 415 would allow school employees to carry a weapon on campus, if they have a concealed weapons permit. The House passed the bill Wednesday on a 53-16 vote, sending it to the Senate.

Senate clears constitutional amendment limiting special sessions

When lawmakers in 2022 drafted a constitutional amendment giving themselves the right to convene a special session, they neglected a provision that limits how long the session could be. 

Since voters approved the amendment, there’s been no limit on how long the Legislature could meet for a special session. The Senate on Thursday advanced a new constitutional amendment correcting the oversight and limiting special sessions to 20 days. 

Senate Majority Caucus Chair Mark Harris, R-Soda Springs

The amendment would ensure the Legislature remains part-time, a “blessing” and source of “pride,” according to Senate Majority Caucus Chair Mark Harris, R-Soda Springs. “We pass laws, we work here and we go home. And we have to live by the things that we do,” Harris told the Senate State Affairs Committee last week. 

Previously, only the governor could call a special session of the Legislature. But two years ago, voters narrowly approved an addition to the Idaho Constitution that gave lawmakers the right to convene themselves. 

Meanwhile, the Constitution continues to put a time limit on special sessions “convened…by the governor,” meaning sessions called by the Legislature are unrestrained. A handful of Republicans want to keep it that way. 

Ten GOP senators Thursday opposed the joint resolution to reinstate the 20-day limit. Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle, said the Legislature — an “equal branch of government” — is more cost-effective than the bureaucratic arm of the state government. And the Legislature sometimes needs to exercise budgeting and lawmaking authority outside a regular session, like it did during the COVID-19 pandemic, Herndon said. 

“I don’t want to put a constraint on what that possibility might be for future situations,” he said. 

The constitutional amendment needs two-thirds support from the House and the Senate — it cleared the Senate with just one vote to spare. The joint resolution now heads to the House. 

A majority of Idaho voters also have to approve a constitutional amendment. Publicizing the amendment ahead of a vote will cost the state $200,000, according to a fiscal note for the joint resolution. 

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Statehouse roundup, 1.30.24: Bill to arm school teachers on hold, for now https://www.idahoednews.org/state-policy/statehouse-roundup-1-30-24-bill-to-arm-school-teachers-on-hold-for-now/ Tue, 30 Jan 2024 19:52:07 +0000 https://www.idahoednews.org/?p=88681 The House has put off a debate on a bill that would give school teachers the right to carry guns on campus.

Rep. Ted Hill’s bill was scheduled for a vote Tuesday, but members voted to keep it on the calendar, for now. Hill told Idaho Education News that he’s hoping to bolster support for the bill and address concerns from the Senate, to avoid amendments once it crosses the rotunda. 

“We are trying to get the buy-in and we’ve got to give it some time,” said Hill, R-Eagle. “But we haven’t changed the bill, or anything, yet.”

The House State Affairs Committee last week voted along party lines to give House Bill 415 the go-ahead. That was after a tense public hearing in which associations representing school boards and administrators as well as the statewide teachers’ union expressed fervent opposition. 

The bill would give school employees the right to carry guns on public school campuses and grant them legal immunity if they engage in a gunfight. An employee would need an enhanced concealed carry permit, but wouldn’t need permission from school administrators or trustees, to carry on campus.  

The legislation is designed to give teachers a fighting chance in a school shooting in the minutes before law enforcement arrives, Hill argues. “The police never stop these things, almost never,” he told EdNews. “We’re trying to close this gap.” 

But law enforcement groups have said they’re concerned that the eight-hour training required for an enhanced concealed carry permit is inadequate and that the bill is taking the wrong approach to addressing school shootings. 

The Idaho Association of School Resource Officers announced Monday that it’s opposed to the current proposal, and lawmakers should instead focus on preventing school shootings. Strategies should include mandating behavioral threat assessments, establishing research-based emergency protocols and investing in school resource officers, Morgan Ballis, president of the association, wrote in a column.

“Rep. Hill, and those who support this legislation, have demonstrated their resolve to protect our students and educators,” Ballis wrote. “However, these efforts are focused in the wrong areas.”

Blaine repeal on hold, at least for the time being

A proposal to overturn the controversial “Blaine Amendment” is also on hold, at least for the time being.

The House State Affairs Committee took no action on House Joint Resolution 1, an attempt to strike Idaho’s constitutional ban on using public dollars to support religious enterprises, including schools.

The reasons to hold the amendment were not immediately clear. Rep. Joe Palmer, R-Meridian, a supporter of the repeal, asked to delay a vote so he could get answers to some technical questions. Palmer did not elaborate. His motion to delay the vote passed unanimously.

The vote came after a debate that fell along familiar ideological lines.

Rep. Elaine Price, R-Coeur d’Alene, repeatedly said that her proposal was simply designed to give Idahoans a say on the Blaine Amendment. (Constitutional amendments must pass both houses by two-thirds supermajorities, and majority support from voters.) But she also said the amendments — in place in about three dozen states, including Idaho — reflect a nationwide political campaign engineered by former U.S. congressman James Blaine, who also sought similar language in the U.S. Constitution.

“Blaine had a hatred for Catholic Irish immigrants and expressed his bigotry with this  amendment,” Price said.

Supporting the repeal, Coeur d’Alene attorney Katherine Hartley argued against a strict separation between church and state. This separation, embodied in the Blaine amendment, disfavors religion. “This is not neutral. This is hostile toward religion of all kinds.”

Opponents pushed back against the argument that the U.S. Supreme Court has effectively overturned the Blaine Amendment. A recent Supreme Court ruling said a state cannot discriminate against funding religious schools — but only if a state decides to make public dollars available to private schools.

The amendment guarantees that public dollars stay in public schools, said Nancy Gregory, a Boise school trustee and Idaho School Boards Association past president. Repealing the amendment would provide an “easy path” to pass a tax voucher or education savings account plan, she said.

And while Palmer didn’t spell out his questions, Rep. John Gannon rattled off several concerns.

Gannon, D-Boise, wanted a better sense of the cost of repeal, if it paves the way for a private school funding law. He also asked how the state would define religions that are eligible for state support — and a list of religious enterprises that could receive state funding, beyond parochial schools.

Tuition tax credit bill surfaces

A much-anticipated bill to subsidize private school tuition made its first appearance Tuesday. 

The House Revenue and Taxation Committee introduced the bill to create a $50 million program for private school tax credits and low-income grants. 

Co-sponsors Sen. Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian, and Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, previewed the proposal in a news conference earlier this month. Tuesday’s print hearing was the first hurdle for the bill, setting the stage for a public hearing likely to draw fireworks. 

The bill would allow private school families of any income to claim $5,000 tax credits for academic expenses. That could include tuition, fees, transportation, tutoring, test-taking and exam preparation, among other things. Families with a learning-disabled student could claim an additional $2,500. 

Another $10 million would be set aside for a “kickstart” program benefitting low-income students. Rather than claiming private school expenses on their taxes, families who qualify for the federal earned income tax credit could collect up to $5,000 in grants for one year. After a year, those families would be rolled into the tax credit program. 

Altogether, the tax credits and grants — distributed on a first-come, first-served basis — would be capped at $50 million annually. That could go up in future years if there’s high demand. 

Tuesday’s meeting was a taste of the debate to come. Den Hartog tried to head off the primary criticism of proposals to subsidize private education — that they would drain public school funds. 

“This does not take funds from the public schools budget,” said Den Hartog, who said the K-12 budget would be dealt with separately.

After Rep. Kenny Wroten, R-Nampa, asked whether the bill would create a “new source of revenue,” Den Hartog acknowledged that the tax credits could decrease state revenue. 

After the hearing, House and Senate Democrats said the state’s budget is “fungible” and “any amount of funds” allocated to the proposed program would deplete money available for public schools. 

Idaho has roughly 15,000 private school students. The Mountain States Policy Center, a think tank that has supported similar proposals in the past, estimates the $50 million spending cap would limit the program to roughly 8,000 students. 

The committee voted 13-3 to introduce the bill. Wroten opposed it, along with Rep. Rick Cheatum, R-Pocatello, and House Assistant Minority Leader Lauren Necochea, D-Boise.

Charter school overhaul clears House

Atop a wave of mostly silent consent, a bill to overhaul Idaho’s charter school regulations sailed through the House Tuesday.

While three Democrats opposed the bill, there was no debate against, and very little argument for, the “Accelerating Public Charter Schools Act.” The bill is a sweeping revision of regulations governing charter school applications, operations and reauthorizations, designed to reward high-performing charters with less “red tape” and provide more support to struggling charters. 

“We’ve learned a lot in the last 26 years of charter schools,” said Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale, who’s sponsoring the bill co-authored by the governor’s office. “Instead of just fixing a little piece here and there, we decided to do a total rewrite.” 

To read more about what the overhaul would entail, click here.

The bill now heads to the Senate.

New bill targets access to ‘harmful’ online materials

A House committee introduced another bill designed to restrict access to “harmful” online materials.

Dubbed the “Online Child Safety Act,” the new bill would require internet content providers to verify the age of users who view materials deemed harmful to minors. If providers don’t take “reasonable steps” to verify a user’s age, parents would be allowed to seek civil damages.

“We are just trying to provide content creators with a way to self-regulate,” said Rep. Elaine Price, R-Coeur d’Alene, one of the bill’s co-sponsors.

The House State Affairs Committee voted to introduce the bill Tuesday, a unanimous vote that could pave the way to a full hearing at a later date.

While the House bill targets content providers, a Senate bill takes a decidedly different approach to controlling access to harmful materials. Sen. Kevin Cook, R-Idaho Falls, has proposed a bill to require manufacturers to install filters on devices children use. The Senate State Affairs Committee introduced the latest version of Cook’s bill Monday.

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Statehouse roundup, 1.29.24: Republican proposes disclaimer that school vaccines are ‘not mandatory’ https://www.idahoednews.org/news/statehouse-roundup-1-29-24-republican-proposes-disclaimer-that-school-vaccines-are-not-mandatory/ Mon, 29 Jan 2024 21:07:23 +0000 https://www.idahoednews.org/?p=88625 As Idaho’s childhood immunization rates decline, a new bill would require school districts to take an extra step informing parents that “mandatory” vaccines are “not mandatory.” 

Before starting kindergarten, Idaho school children must get vaccines for measles, chickenpox, polio and other diseases. But state law has broad exemptions to the mandate — parents can refuse vaccination for any reason. 

The law says a parent can exempt their child from a vaccine with a doctor’s note explaining health risks. Vaccinations also can be refused “on religious or other grounds.” School districts are required to disclose these exemptions when communicating with parents about immunization.

The new bill would take it a step further and require that school districts “describe that immunizations are not mandatory.” 

“I’m very pro-vaccine,” said Rep. Dori Healey, R-Boise, who’s sponsoring the bill. But Healey said many parents don’t know immunization requirements aren’t mandatory when school districts send out regular vaccination reminders.

Rep. Dori Healey, R-Boise

The House Health and Welfare Committee voted Monday to introduce the bill, which means it could have a public hearing in the coming days or weeks. 

The bill comes as Idaho’s childhood immunization rates have steadily declined in recent years — and the state last year experienced a rare outbreak of measles, a disease once considered eradicated from the U.S. thanks to widespread vaccination. 

Last school year, more than 10,000 school-age children weren’t fully vaccinated, Idaho Education News previously reported. The kindergarten immunization rate was nearly 78%, down about 8% from pre-pandemic levels, and more than 12% of kindergarteners were in school with an immunization exemption. 

New smartphone filter bill introduced

Idaho senators Monday introduced a new version of a bill to require smartphone manufacturers to create pornography filters on smartphones and tablets used by children. 

The bill has one major change since it was first introduced two weeks ago: There’s no longer a civil cause of action. That provision would have made a company liable for civil lawsuits if they failed to enable a filter blocking children from accessing “obscene material” on one of their devices. 

“It was causing noise and I just went back and focused on … the real problem that I’m trying to fix here,” bill sponsor Sen. Kevin Cook said Monday. “The real problem is giving parents the ability to keep their children from pornography.” 

The Idaho attorney general’s office still could seek penalties for failing to comply with the proposed law. The legislation calls for up to $50,000 in fines. 

Cook, R-Idaho Falls, said the requirements only would apply to device manufacturers and not retailers or internet providers. Manufacturers would have to enable a filter that blocks “obscene material” — defined in state law as a sexual act that “appeals to the prurient interest” — on a smartphone or tablet used by a minor. Parents or guardians could deactivate the filter.  

It’s the second consecutive legislative session that Cook has pushed for a pornography filter on smartphones. A similar bill last year narrowly failed to pass the Senate amid concerns that it was overreaching into private industry affairs. 

That resistance appears to be ongoing. On Monday, Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder bemoaned opposition to the bill and compared it to legislation seeking to restrict library material, which is widely supported by Statehouse Republicans. 

“There’s more access to pornography through the cell phone than there is through a library, so I don’t understand why we have opposing sides on this,” said Winder, R-Boise.

‘When ISU wins, the state of Idaho wins:’ new president meets lawmakers

On his first day on the job, Idaho State University President Robert Wagner was in the Statehouse.

New Idaho State University President Robert Wagner speaks to the House Education Committee. (Brandon Schertler/Idaho EdNews)

“When ISU wins, the state of Idaho wins,” Wagner said during brief introductory remarks before the House Education Committee Monday morning.

Wagner pledged to focus on “affordability and relevance” and work to improve student access.

Wagner also drew from his own background as a nontraditional student. When he completed his bachelor’s degree at Brigham Young University, Wagner and his wife had already had their first child. When he received his master’s degree at the University of Utah, he was a father of four. When he completed his doctorate from the State University of New York at Albany, he was a father of five, studying more than 2,000 miles from home.

Wagner was named Idaho State’s 14th president in December. Previously, Wagner had worked 16 years at nearby Utah State University, most recently as executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Wagner was scheduled to speak to the Senate Education Committee Monday afternoon. Wagner is also scheduled to return to the Statehouse in February for more formal comments.

Trustee vacancy bill heads to the Senate floor

With little discussion, the Senate Education Committee approved a bill designed to keep school boards running in the event of vacancies.

Senate Bill 1239 would redefine quorum as the number of school trustees in office, not the number of school board seats.

The change would only affect a five-member board that is down two members. Currently, all three remaining trustees must attend a meeting in order for the board to conduct business. Under SB 1239, such a board could hold a meeting with only two trustees in attendance.

Sponsoring Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle, called the bill a “scalpel” approach to address a problem that occurred in his legislative district. The West Bonner School District struggled to cobble together a working quorum after two trustees were recalled in August.

The Idaho School Boards Association is neutral on the bill, executive director Misty Swanson said Monday.

Senate Education voted unanimously to send SB 1239 to the floor, with a recommendation that it pass. A Senate vote could come later this week.

Herndon’s bill is one of two proposals to come out of the West Bonner brouhaha. Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint, has introduced a bill that would block recalled trustees from participating in board meetings.

 

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Statehouse roundup, 1.18.24: New, negotiated library bill is coming https://www.idahoednews.org/news/statehouse-roundup-1-18-24-new-negotiated-library-bill-is-coming/ Thu, 18 Jan 2024 20:39:11 +0000 https://www.idahoednews.org/?p=88259 The House Thursday sidetracked a controversial bill that targets “harmful” material in libraries. A replacement bill is on the way. 

The move came just three days after the House State Affairs Committee cleared House Bill 384, which would force libraries to place challenged books in adults-only sections or face civil liability. Most comments from the public opposed the bill during a hearing Monday. 

Rep. Brent Crane, who chairs State Affairs and supported the bill sponsored by his brother, Rep. Jaron Crane, asked the House to send HB 384 back to committee, effectively killing it. Both Cranes are Republicans from Nampa. 

Rep. Jaron Crane, R-Nampa, introduces his bill that would require libraries to relocate challenged books to an adults-only section. (Darren Svan/EdNews)

A replacement bill, negotiated with Sen. Geoff Schroeder, is forthcoming, Brent Crane said. Jaron Crane met with Schroeder this week, and they “put together a deal.”

“I want to applaud the work that they put in on that issue,” Brent Crane told the House. 

Schroeder, a prosecuting attorney and Republican from Mountain Home, last year was critical of Jaron Crane’s previous bill that proposed a $2,500 “bounty” on libraries. 

This year, Schroeder has co-sponsored separate legislation, Senate Bill 1221, that would require school libraries to implement content review policies and form committees to take action on challenged books. 

The Idaho Library Association, which opposes HB 384, is “neutral” on the new one, Brent Crane said. The ILA — a nonprofit trade group — tweeted after Thursday’s House session that it “has been invited to collaborate on a new bill” and invited followers to “check back for more details as we become aware of them.”

“We welcome the opportunity for involvement,” the tweet said. “We will continue to advocate for Idaho libraries.”

State gives out $13.4 million in school safety upgrades

Schools around the state have received $13.4 million to upgrade safety systems, and another $6.6 million will be dished out to cover high-cost projects. 

The House Education Committee got an update Thursday on $20 million in grants that the Legislature approved in 2023.

“I would have never thought that possible, so thank you,” Office of School Safety and Security Manager Mike Munger told the committee. 

In phase one of the grant program, schools each got $20,000. The money was used for security upgrades related to access control, like new doors, control panels and fencing, as well as security communication and “life safety” measures, such as smoke detection, Munger said. 

The security upgrades were supposed to be tied to a documented vulnerability, and earmarked for purchases that are durable and demonstrated as effective. 

Phase two — handing out the remaining $6.6 million — will involve higher-cost upgrades, ranging from $50,000 to $100,000, and the funding will be more competitive, Munger said.

School board quorum bill introduced

Responding to school board churn in his legislative district, a North Idaho lawmaker wants the state to clear up the definition of a board quorum.

Under the current law, a majority of school board members constitutes a quorum. In other words, three trustees from a five-member board can convene and do business.

Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle

But when a board has a vacancy, or multiple vacancies, it becomes more difficult to achieve a quorum. That was a recurring issue last fall in the West Bonner School District, after two trustees were recalled in August. In essence, the three-member board needed perfect attendance in order to hold a meeting.

A bill from Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle, would redefine a quorum as a majority of trustees in office — or in the West Bonner case study, two of three sitting board members.

Without debate, the Senate Education Committee introduced the bill Thursday afternoon. The bill could come back for a full hearing at a later date.

 

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Statehouse roundup, 1.17.24: Little threatens Empowering Parents cut after conservative revenue forecast https://www.idahoednews.org/news/statehouse-roundup-1-17-24-little-threatens-empowering-parents-cut-after-conservative-revenue-forecast/ Wed, 17 Jan 2024 20:03:42 +0000 https://www.idahoednews.org/?p=88222 One of Gov. Brad Little’s showpiece education programs could be slashed, after lawmakers recommended a conservative revenue forecast for the upcoming fiscal year. 

Alex Adams, Little’s budget chief, told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee Wednesday that the Empowering Parents program cut is one of a few reductions needed to trim about $100 million from the governor’s budget recommendations.

Alex Adams

This comes after the Legislature’s Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee recommended that JFAC adopt a more conservative revenue forecast — 1.7% less than the governor’s number. 

“Revenue forecasting is a fancy way of saying revenue guessing,” Adams told JFAC. “I think it’s very reasonable and appropriate to guess low as a hedge.” 

The governor’s budget revisions regularly come early in the session, to correct errors and omissions noticed after the budget is widely shared. But eliminating an entire program — especially one prized by the Republican governor — is out of the ordinary. 

The $30 million Empowering Parents program offers students microgrants for out-of-pocket educational expenses, such as textbooks and laptops. The state initiated Empowering Parents in 2022, using $50 million of federal coronavirus aid, but in 2023, Little and the Legislature agreed to use the $30 million in state money to keep the program going.

The 2022 rollout was turbulent — and amidst reports of improper, taxpayer-funded purchases, Little in June ordered an audit of his pet program. The independent audit pinpointed $41,000 in improper purchases — prompting Little to tout Empowering Parents as “a resounding success.”

The Legislature’s economic outlook committee meets with economists and business leaders each year and studies forecasts before recommending to JFAC a limit on how much the state should spend in the coming year. The joint committee last week voted to recommend a $5.6 billion revenue forecast for fiscal year 2025, while the governor’s office predicted the state would collect about $5.7 billion.

“We recommend caution in making appropriations above the committee’s revenue recommendations,” economic outlook committee members said in a letter to JFAC. 

Working on $5.6 billion, the governor’s new budget would also trim next year’s ending balance by about $65 million, Adams said. And it would set aside slightly less money in the state’s rainy day fund, which is tied to a percentage of revenue. 

JFAC Co-chair Sen. C. Scott Grow, R-Eagle, noted Tuesday that his committee has yet to accept the $5.6 billion forecast.

Critchfield renews pitch for one-time boost in K-12 payments

State superintendent Debbie Critchfield came to the Statehouse Wednesday, renewing a $162 million to $165 million request.

State superintendent Debbie Critchfield

She urged House Education Committee members to free up the money public schools were expecting this year — but didn’t receive. The money is on hold because Idaho abandoned its pandemic-era school funding formula, which was tied to enrollment, returning to a formula tied to student attendance. Since attendance numbers usually fall below enrollment numbers, schools stand to lose money under the attendance-based formula.

While arcane, the attendance-vs.-enrollment formula debate looms as one of the biggest education funding issues of the 2024 session. And for months, Critchfield has urged state leaders to keep schools whole. Her 2024-25 budget proposal, submitted in September, included $92 million to cover the difference.

Since then, the price tag has nearly doubled. But on Wednesday, Critchfield again pointed out that the state already has this money in hand. If it doesn’t go out to the schools, the money would instead slide into the state’s rainy-day fund for public schools, or a bond levy equalization fund designed to offset some school construction costs.

Gov. Brad Little also supports moving money to public schools to offset the funding loss — and Little will finalize his request when the February attendance numbers come in.

In her first presentation to the 2024 Legislature, Critchfield said her Idaho Department of Education is focusing on four far-reaching goals:

  • A “back-to-basics” focus on early literacy and math. Idaho’s math scores remain lackluster, with roughly 40% of fifth- through eighth-graders scoring proficient or better on standardized tests in the spring. “We’re not satisfied with where we are.”
  • Preparing high school graduates for college and career. Critchfield shared some surprising numbers Wednesday morning. The 2023 Legislature freed up $45 million in one-time money to start new career-technical programs in rural Idaho, and the state received requests for $111 million. “We’ve really gone to work to prioritize and scrutinize.”
  • Teacher recruitment and retention. In recent years, studies have shown that 30% of Idaho’s new teachers leave the profession within a few years.
  • Making permanent changes in the school funding formula, last rewritten in 1994.
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Statehouse roundup, 1.15.24: Hundreds attend hearing on library bill https://www.idahoednews.org/top-news/statehouse-roundup-1-15-24-hundreds-attend-hearing-on-library-bill/ Mon, 15 Jan 2024 20:43:12 +0000 https://www.idahoednews.org/?p=88121 Librarians told the House State Affairs Committee on Monday that a bill requiring them to relocate “harmful” books would be impractical and expensive to implement. 

The committee voted along party lines to advance the legislation during a crammed hearing that needed overflow rooms to hold attendees. Rep. Jaron Crane’s bill is the latest among a string of proposals to restrict material available to underage library patrons. 

House Bill 384 requires that libraries implement a process through which patrons can ask for materials to be moved to an adults-only section. If library officials don’t relocate the book, they could face a civil lawsuit that includes statutory penalties. 

“There’s no book banning, and there’s no book burning,” Crane, R-Nampa, told the committee. “We’re simply codifying a relocation policy that creates a fair process for both parties that are involved.” 

State Affairs Chairman and Nampa Rep. Brent Crane, Jaron Crane’s brother, allowed for about an hour and a half of public testimony on the bill. Hundreds of people attended the meeting, which fell on the same day as a teachers union event at the capitol. 

Most testimony strongly opposed the proposal. Libraries already have policies for challenging material in circulation, and the Legislature should allow those processes to be controlled locally, several librarians said. And the threat of a lawsuit would compel costly renovations and additional staff to create adults-only sections and guard them, said Idaho Falls Public Library Director Robert Wright. 

“We’re one of the largest libraries in Eastern Idaho,” he said. “We can’t afford to do this.”

Others criticized the standards that would determine whether content is “harmful” to minors. Idaho law defines “harmful” as content that’s “obscene,” appeals to the prurient interest of minors” and is “patently offensive to prevailing standards” of what’s suitable for children. Content is also “harmful” if it’s “obscene” and “has the dominant effect of substantially arousing sexual desires” in minors.

“Obscene material,” as defined by Idaho law, is content that includes nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement and sado-masochistic abuse. Any act of homosexuality falls under the definition of “sexual conduct.”

“The homophobia in this bill is blatant,” said Isabella Burgess, a college student and associate librarian in Meridian. “It’s absolutely essential that we have books that represent every member of our community that are accessible to every age range.”

The hearing showed diverging opinions over whether libraries should be responsible for supervising content that children access. Mary Ruckh, a Boise grandmother of two elementary schoolers who opposes the bill, urged lawmakers to “trust and allow parents to care for their children.”

Jennifer Holmes of Post Falls had a different view. Holmes said she asked officials from her local library to relocate a DVD that showed two men kissing on the cover. The request was denied and Holmes was told “it’s my responsibility as the parent to monitor my children,” she recalled for the committee. 

“Needless to say, I stopped going to that library,” Holmes said. 

Others who support House Bill 384 said they’ve struggled to change library policies locally. Children are “frequently being harmed and corrupted” by library content, said Rachelle Ottosen, a public library trustee in Rathdrum. The board has tried since last year to tighten library policies, but has been stymied by threats of lawsuits, Ottosen said. 

“It’s mind-boggling that adults demand children have access to sexually explicit materials,” she said. 

There was little discussion among committee members before a vote to advance the bill to the full House with a “do-pass” recommendation. Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, moved to delay a vote and allow those who didn’t testify in the allotted time an opportunity to submit written comments to the committee. The motion failed on a party-line vote.

Turnaround and turnover: Cascade shares a success story

In the summer of 2018, Cascade administrators were told to brace for bad news: Their rural junior-senior high school was on a soon-to-be-released list of Idaho’s low-performing schools.

The grim ranking started the district on a six-year journey of turnaround and turnover. And on Monday, Cascade superintendent Joni Stevenson shared the district’s story with House Education.

Joni Stevenson

”Our community was very angry with us,” said Stevenson, who was principal of Cascade’s elementary school when the 2018 rankings came out. “They were embarrassed.”

Cascade took several steps to address the problems. The district revamped its curricula: math first, then English language arts. Administrators spent more time giving feedback and in-person supervision of teachers in class. Test scores are posted on hallway walls.

And Cascade’s 210 students are putting up improved scores. Cascade has ranked in the top 10% in early literacy proficiency since 2021. Cascade landed in the statewide top 10 on last year’s math Idaho Standards Achievement Test. Cascade also topped the state’s public school districts on the science ISAT.

Stevenson also attributes the improvement to a “culture shift.” Cascade sought to stamp out what Stevenson calls “BCD:” blame, complain and defend. Since 2018, about 95% of the staff has turned over. Now in her second year as superintendent, Stevenson says the push for improvement has cost her some friends around the Valley County blue-collar community.

“You don’t come out unscathed,” said Stevenson, who added that she is personally invested in making the changes stick.

“It’s not fun to not be popular sometimes. It’s better to put kids first,” House Education Chairwoman Julie Yamamoto, R-Caldwell, said at the end of Stevenson’s presentation.

The House and Senate education committees will hear similar presentations each Monday. The goal, Yamamoto said, is to highlight success stories that can be replicated across the state.

‘The momentum you have created cannot be allowed to die’

While House State Affairs discussed the libraries bill in front of a crowded meeting room Monday morning, teachers also packed the House Education Committee’s meeting.

Nearly 200 teachers were in the Statehouse today for the Idaho Education Association’s annual lobbying effort.

Speaking on the union’s behalf, IEA President Layne McInelly praised the committee and urged them to continue to stand up for public education.

The $150 million in teacher pay raises, approved by the 2023 Legislature, signaled support for teachers and the work they do, McInelly said. At the same time, he said, House Education members fought library bills and pushed back against “bad” proposals to siphon public money into private schools.

Layne McInelly

“The momentum you have created cannot be allowed to die,” McInelly told the committee.

McInelly urged House Education to take a serious look at Gov. Brad Little’s $200 million-a-year school facilities proposal. Whether lawmakers pass Little’s plan, or come up with one of their own, he said, “it’s time this issue is addressed adequately.”

Mcinelly also urged the committee to take student mental health seriously. Little has proposed doubling the budget for college and career advisers, a move that also gives advisers’ more time to address mental health issues. This $9 million increase would help, McInelly said, “But this would only be a Band-Aid on a much bigger wound.”

Smartphone ‘filter’ bill returns

An Idaho Falls senator is again pushing a bill that would require smartphone and tablet manufacturers to enable pornography filters.

Manufacturers would be required to turn on the filters on devices sold to and used by minors — although parents would be able to use a password to turn off or turn on the filters.

The bill contains both civil and criminal penalties. A manufacturer that fails to activate the filter could face a $50,000 civil fine. If anyone other than a parent disables a filter, he or she could face a $5,000 criminal fine.

Without discussion, the Senate State Affairs Committee voted to introduce the bill from Republican Sen. Kevin Cook. The bill could come back to the committee for a full public hearing at a later date.

A year ago, the Senate rejected a similar proposal from Cook, on a narrow 18-17 vote.

Higher education contracts bill

Senate State Affairs also introduced a trio of bills on state purchasing, pushed by the state’s Department of Administration.

One spells out the rules for Idaho agencies to sign contracts with the state’s higher education system.

State law allows agencies to enter noncompetitive contracts with a college or university. This bill would spell out the rules for a competitive process. State agencies would be required to find out if multiple schools wanted to vie for a contract, and seek proposals from each bidder.

These bills also could come back to the committee for a hearing.

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