K-12 budgets pass — in a hurry
As the 2017 Legislature moves, slowly, toward adjournment, lawmakers quickly approve $1.7 billion in K-12 spending. This week’s education headlines.
The K-12 budgets. The House of Representatives hit a grinding halt Thursday, as conservative lawmakers used procedural objections to delay floor votes. But on Monday, the House started its week by passing the seven K-12 budget bills in 28 minutes, with no debate and only a smattering of dissenting votes. https://www.idahoednews.org/news/idaho-house-quickly-passes-2017-18-school-budget/ The budgets passed the Senate unanimously Wednesday. https://www.idahoednews.org/news/statehouse-roundup-3-22-17-senate-passes-education-budgets-grocery-tax-repeal/
A sneak preview of next year? The Senate spent some time debating one aspect of the K-12 budgets. Senate Education Committee Chairman Dean Mortimer wound up supporting the budgets, but he said they didn’t go far enough to help schools shoulder health benefit costs that have reached $160 million a year. This is just one of several tough K-12 issues that the 2017 Legislature will leave unresolved. https://www.idahoednews.org/news/2017-legislature-long-list-unresolved-k-12-issues/
Rural initiative stalls. For the second consecutive session, state superintendent Sherri Ybarra’s rural schools support network pilot has stalled in the Senate. Ybarra wants to create a pilot to help overworked rural administrators collaborate and share scarce resources. An ad hoc committee will work on the issue in the months to come. https://www.idahoednews.org/news/statehouse-roundup-3-21-17-ybarras-rural-initiative-dead-session/
School elections: a closer look. Idaho voters approved $695 million in school bonds and levies on March 14. But that doesn’t equate to $695 million in new taxes; in many cases, local property tax rates will remain unchanged. https://www.idahoednews.org/kevins-blog/many-bonds-levies-pass-easily-last-week/ Meanwhile, Canyon County’s Vallivue School District will go back to the polls in May with two levy proposals. https://www.idahoednews.org/news/vallivue-ask-voters-levy-failed-last-week/
Report cards for charter school laws. On Wednesday, two pro-charter school groups issued separate reports on state charter school laws. Both groups gave Idaho’s laws middling grades, citing funding gaps between traditional schools and charter schools. https://www.idahoednews.org/kevins-blog/national-education-reform-group-criticizes-idaho-charter-laws/
Kevin Richert is a reporter and blogger with Idaho Education News (idahoednews.org.) Idaho Education News is an independent news site focused on K-12 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.
