IDAHO EDUCATION NOTECARD May 12
The unlevel playing field. Sugar City has a rich agricultural history but a modest property tax base. For the hometown Sugar-Salem School District, these economic realities make it harder to keep up with building needs and pay competitive teacher salaries. Sugar-Salem provides a good window into the complexities of school funding. Learn more here.
A preview of Tuesday’s school elections, in Sugar-Salem and beyond. Find more here.
‘I’ve been given many opportunities.’ Fifteen years ago, 3-year-old Odalis Gonzalez and her 8-year-old half sister, Martha, left their home in Tijuana, Mexico — in a car they’d never seen before, bound for the U.S. border. Odalis, an undocumented immigrant, is a valedictorian at American Falls High School. She will attend her dream college, the University of Notre Dame, on a full-ride scholarship. Learn more here.
Nampa gets its “Candidate A.” The Nampa School District has a new superintendent — Paula Kellerer, the dean of Northwest Nazarene University’s College of Adult and Graduate Studies. She is a former deputy superintendent in Nampa, and she will be the district’s first female superintendent. The hiring came with a bit of intrigue; in a Tuesday board meeting, trustees identified Kellerer only as “Candidate A,” since they had not settled on a contract with her. Learn more here.
The political candidate shuffle, Chapter 1. As expected, U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador filed paperwork for a run for governor. The only surprise was in Tuesday’s timing. Labrador made his move days after saying that no one dies because of a lack of health care — a remark that put the four-term congressman in the middle of the firestorm over the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Learn more here.
The political candidate shuffle, Chapter 2. Based on past history, the wide-open race for Labrador’s seat in Congress will draw a crowd of Republican hopefuls. Former Attorney General and Lt. Gov. David Leroy filed for the race Thursday. Former state superintendent Tom Luna says he is seriously considering a run; he hasn’t appeared on a ballot since Idaho voters overwhelmingly rejected his education overhaul laws in November 2012. Learn more here.
