Idaho schools chief switches up rural school pitch

Idaho’s top schools chief will no longer ask for money to create a rural schools network after lawmakers rejected the proposal every year the Republican leader has been in office.

Instead, Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra is gearing up to make a similar but different pitch.

According to Ybarra’s budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, nearly $1 million has been earmarked to implement three new programs designed to address Idaho’s critical teacher shortages in rural areas. The programs include paying for some tuition for teachers who commit to teach in a rural area for three years and creating retention bonuses for rural educators.

Ybarra had previously asked the Idaho Legislator to form a pilot project in which rural schools would collaborate and share resources. However, lawmakers repeatedly voted against the proposal because some said it would create an unnecessary layer of government bureaucracy.