Idaho Education Notecard, March 30, 2018
This week’s education and political headlines:
And that’s a wrap. After 80 days, the Legislature adjourned for the year Wednesday, but not without a little end-of-session suspense. Gov. Butch Otter vetoed two education-related bills — one to remove Idaho’s reading test from the list of measures used to determine teacher pay raises, and one to relax hiring requirements for charter school administrators. Both vetoes stood. More HERE.
The post-session analysis. Looking back on his 12th and final legislative session as governor, Butch Otter praised lawmakers for putting money into teacher pay raises, classroom technology, college scholarships and a new reading test. Republican leaders said the 2018 session struck a good balance between tax cuts and investments in education. Democratic leaders said the tax cuts could jeopardize the fifth year of teacher pay raises under the 2015 career ladder law. More HERE.
Idaho’s ESSA plan approved. The State Department of Education received some long-awaited news from Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Thursday. The U.S. Department of Education approved Idaho’s plan to carry out the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. The far-reaching plan, months in the works, includes ambitious improvement goals and spells out a long-awaited school accountability plan. More HERE.
‘I think the superintendent needs to be at the Capitol more.’ Several prominent lawmakers said they saw very little of state superintendent Sherri Ybarra during the 2018 legislative session — and that is hampering her effectiveness at the Statehouse. For example, House Education Committee Chairwoman Julie VanOrden said Ybarra needed to spend more time making the case for her failed proposal to create support centers for rural schools. In a statement, Ybarra said, “If the worst somebody can say about me is they want more time with me, that’s a good thing.” More HERE.
Email glitch. Shelley High School accidentally sent out personal information about 280 students in a mass email sent out earlier this week. The emails included student names, phone numbers, addresses, class schedules and attendance records. According to state law, the release of private student data carries a potential penalty of up to $50,000. More HERE.
Kevin Richert is a reporter and blogger with Idaho Education News (idahoednews.org.) Idaho Education News is an independent news site focused on education policy and politics, funded by the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation. Richert has worked in the Idaho news media since 1985, as a reporter, editor and columnist.
