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Idaho State Board of Education wants a judge to toss Labrador lawsuit
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on July 25, 2023 The State Board of Education’s hired attorney wants a judge to toss Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s open meetings lawsuit against the board. Labrador’s arguments against the State Board — and its closed-door meetings to discuss the University of Idaho’s plans to acquire the University of Phoenix — […]
Analysis: Idaho schools chief puts a K-12 funding formula rewrite on a fast track
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on July 20, 2023 Before the pandemic, lawmakers spent three years trying to rewrite Idaho’s byzantine school funding formula. They failed. Now, state superintendent Debbie Critchfield wants to finish the job — in barely six weeks. On Wednesday morning, Critchfield packed a conference room with a powerful group of politicos and […]
Idaho legislative hardliners urge libraries to sever ties with national organization
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on July 17, 2023 Legislative hardliners want the Idaho Commission for Libraries and the state’s school and public libraries to sever ties with the American Library Association. The Idaho Freedom Caucus push stems from a since-deleted tweet from Emily Drabinski, a Boise High School graduate elected ALA president in April 2022. […]
North Idaho College remains accredited — for now
This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on July 7, 2023. North Idaho College will remain accredited — for up to one more year. In what the college is calling a “neutral decision,” a regional panel is keeping the embattled Coeur d’Alene-based community college’s accreditation intact. But NIC will continue to operate under the shadow […]
Statehouse showdown over University of Idaho-Phoenix discussion escalates
This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on July 7, 2023. The stage is set for a legal battle pitting the Idaho State Board of Education against Attorney General Raúl Labrador. Voting unanimously Friday morning, the board stood behind its decision to hold three closed-door executive sessions to discuss the University of Idaho’s plans to […]
Analysis: How Idaho’s troubled Empowering Parents vendor expanded its national brand
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on July 6, 2023 The company in charge of Idaho’s troubled Empowering Parents program has national aspirations. Primary Class — a New York-based education vendor, also known as Odyssey — was a newcomer in August, when it landed the contract to run Idaho’s $50 million Empowering Parents microgrant program. The deal, […]
State review finds up to $180,000 in improper Empowering Parents purchases
This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on June 30, 2023. State officials are downplaying the result of an internal Idaho State Board of Education review, which pinpointed up to $180,000 in ineligible, taxpayer-funded purchases through the Empowering Parents education microgrant program. The purchases represent less than 1% of the money parceled out through the […]
Idaho State Board of Education steps up legal battle with AG Labrador
This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on June 30, 2023. The Idaho State Board of Education says it will have to hire an outside attorney to defend itself in a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Raúl Labrador. And the board plans to forward its legal bills to Labrador’s office. The State Board fired off […]
Labrador lawsuit challenges closed-door, University of Idaho purchase discussions
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on June 23, 2023 (UPDATED, 12:43 p.m., with additional details on the lawsuit.) The State Board of Education broke Idaho law when it held closed-door meetings to discuss the University of Idaho’s plan to acquire the University of Phoenix, Attorney General Raúl Labrador contends in a lawsuit. Laura Guido of the […]
Analysis: Idaho’s Empowering Parents problems catch Gov. Brad Little off-guard, inexplicably
This analysis was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on June 15, 2023. The big surprise is that Gov. Brad Little was surprised. Clearly but inexplicably blindsided, Little was forced to perform some fast damage control on one of his pet projects: the Empowering Parents education microgrant program. He called for an independent audit — to figure […]
Idaho Gov. Brad Little requests ‘full financial audit’ of Empowering Parents program
This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on June 12, 2023. Idaho Gov. Brad Little has requested a “full financial audit” of the troubled Empowering Parents education microgrant program, amid signs that taxpayers might have gotten the bill for thousands of improper or dubious purchases. “I am offering the Division of Financial Management to contract […]
Analysis: An obscure group will pick Idaho’s in-demand careers, and nobody’s watching
This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on June 8, 2023. It will take seven months for Idaho’s Workforce Development Council to answer the big question on its to-do list: What careers are in-demand careers? It sounds like a dry topic. But it’s actually a hot topic. The in-demand careers list could affect thousands of […]