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A fall flourish: Idaho universities report enrollment increases
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on October 20, 2021 Idaho’s three universities all reported enrollment increases for the fall — growth that nearly erases their pandemic-driven losses from 2020. The four-year schools turned in their fall numbers to the State Board of Education this week. The rebound comes at a pivotal moment for Idaho higher education. […]
Analysis: November’s school board elections reflect their turbulent time
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on October 14, 2021 Tom Luna got his political start as a Nampa school board member. In 2001, he was re-elected to a third term in a typically under-the-radar trustee’s race, by a 99-89 tally. Two decades later, the state Republican Party chairman takes a slightly different view of trustees’ races. […]
Idaho’s track record does not bode well for COVID-19 vaccination rollout for kids
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on October 13, 2021 It’s a problem Dr. Kenny Bramwell would love to see: A shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, as parents flock to pharmacies and clinics to get their children the jab. But Bramwell, medical director for the St. Luke’s Health System children’s hospital, is realistic, based on Idaho’s vaccination track record. […]
Boise State University, Boise police agree on law enforcement contract
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on October 12, 2021 Boise State University and the Boise Police Department have agreed on a five-year law enforcement contract extension. If the State Board of Education and the Boise City Council approve the deal, the new contract would go into effect on Nov. 1, the day after the current police […]
Analysis: Another Little-McGeachin education showdown is on hold, but not permanently
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on October 7, 2021 This week, Idaho political news went national, as the Brad Little-Janice McGeachin feud went nuclear. It made for irresistible sport, without an obvious winner. Playing the acting governor card once again, the lieutenant governor played to her base with a short-lived executive order banning schools from requiring […]
Sunshine reports: Little campaign haul approaches $500,000
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on October 7, 2021 Gov. Brad Little has raised close to $500,000 for his still-unannounced re-election campaign. Little has far outraised all of his presumptive rivals in the May 2022 Republican primary, including his most vocal adversary, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, according to state campaign finance reports. Idaho Education News reviewed […]
Lawmakers could return to Boise on Wednesday — but they’re unlikely to accomplish much
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on Sept. 14, 2021 Some lawmakers could reconvene in Boise on Wednesday to protest President Joe Biden’s recent plan to mandate workplace COVID-19 vaccinations. The Statehouse session is unlikely to accomplish anything concrete. But it does illustrate Republican unrest over the Biden vaccination plan. Last week, Biden announced a new federal […]
As Idaho schools reopen, K-12 coronavirus case numbers surge
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on September 7, 2021 The coronavirus is surging through Idaho’s K-12 schools — at a rapid rate not seen a year ago. For the week ending Friday, the state reported 1,213 new coronavirus cases involving 5- to 17-year-olds. The state releases aggregate case data by age groups, but does not release […]
Analysis: Will lawmakers embrace, or ignore, McGeachin’s task force?
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on September 2, 2021 For 16 hours, spread across four monthly meetings, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin’s hand-selected education task force tried to convince anyone listening that Idaho schools have a pervasive leftist indoctrination problem. Then, at the end of its fourth meeting, the task force spent an hour sketching out recommendations. […]
Boise State COVID surge threatens face-to-face classes, campus events
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on September 1, 2021 Barely one week into fall classes, Boise State University administrators sent a stern warning Wednesday: Rising coronavirus case numbers could force the university to close down face-to-face classes and cancel campus events. “If campus infection rates continue to increase, we likely will face temporary, rolling closures, which […]
Little urges caution with surplus, doubles down on vaccinations
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on August 16, 2021 Gov. Brad Little struck a cautious tone Monday about the state’s burgeoning budget surplus and chronic worker shortages. And he again renewed his push to vaccinate — to curb the accelerating surge of the coronavirus, and to keep the state’s schools open. Little stayed on these themes […]
Idaho’s four-year universities will require masks — at least for now
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on August 11, 2021 Idaho’s public four-year schools are reinstating mask mandates — less than two weeks before the start of fall classes. But the policy isn’t yet final. The State Board of Education gets the last word, and will vote on the policy later this month. In the meantime, the […]