Idaho Education Notecard for June 30

Will a Supreme Court ruling rekindle the voucher debate?

Here’s today’s education news:

Of playgrounds … and school vouchers? On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with a Missouri church that sought to receive state support to resurface a playground. School-choice advocates believe the ruling sets a legal precedent that could pave the way for school vouchers in Idaho and other states. Idaho’s constitution bans the use of public money to support church-owned schools, and the amendment has a lot of political support. Learn more here.

The ESSA scramble. As state superintendent Sherri Ybarra’s team keeps scurrying to rewrite Idaho’s plan to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, some heavy hitters are trying to get a handle on what’s in the plan. Education groups spent much of Monday on a line-by-line deep dive into the 76-page document:

And as legislative committees held a rare midsummer meeting to dissect the plan, key lawmakers say they’ve been left in the dark:

Back to the bargaining table. Negotiations in the Caldwell School District are at an impasse, and the issue doesn’t have much to do with numbers. At the heart of the problem: Idaho’s “career ladder” salary law, which boosts pay for beginning and younger teachers, but does little for veteran teachers. Caldwell isn’t the only district that is still trying to hammer out a labor agreement for 2017-18.
Learn more here.

Going dark. The Aug. 21 solar eclipse also coincides with the start of the school year across much of southern Idaho. This week, Pocatello-Chubbuck School District blinked, and said it would delay the start of school, “based on the unexpected influx of people to the area for viewing the historic eclipse.” Other districts are changing their schedule because of the eclipse.
Learn more here.

Back to the voters. Eastern Idaho’s Bonneville School District is one of the fastest-growing districts in the state. So on Aug. 29, trustees will seek a $58.5 million bond issue for a new middle school. Voters approved $63.5 million in bond issues for a new high school in November 2015.
Learn 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.