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Idaho Launch bill runs into more choppy air
This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on March 7, 2023. The Idaho Launch postsecondary incentives bill is still alive, but it’s in limbo. A skeptical and divided Senate Commerce and Human Resources Committee sent the $102 million bill to the Senate floor — where it might or might not be amended. And either way, […]
After library bill vote, Boyle abruptly steps down from Idaho House Education Committee
This story was originally published on IdahoEdNews.org on March 2, 2023. The senior member of the House Education Committee abruptly stepped down Wednesday morning. Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale, stepped down minutes after colleagues voted down a bill to ban school and public libraries from distributing ”harmful materials” to minors. The committee voted to hold the […]
Analysis: A fundamental discussion of what education means to Idahoans
This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on Feb. 16, 2023. On Tuesday, Bessie Yeley of Nampa testified remotely, in opposition to the $45 million education savings accounts bill. She came to the Statehouse Wednesday, with her son, to testify in person. (Darren Svan/Idaho Education News) Even before the six hours of hearings, stretched across […]
Divisive bill on education savings accounts heads to Idaho Senate floor
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on February 15, 2023 The Senate Education Committee sent a $45 million school choice bill to the Senate floor with a 6-3 vote Wednesday evening. The vote came on day two of public testimony on Senate Bill 1038 — the controversial plan to establish a universal education savings account program. SB […]
Idaho Statehouse roundup: Library pornography bill surfaces, House passes financial literacy bill
This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on Feb. 13, 2023. Another bill targeting library pornography made a brief debut Monday. Billed as the “School and Library Protection Act,” the bill would prohibit schools and libraries from distributing obscene materials to minors. But this new bill makes one significant departure from a controversial libraries proposal […]
Boise State professor Scott Yenor takes a Florida-based job with a conservative think tank
This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on Feb. 9, 2023. (UPDATED, 12:25 p.m., to report that Yenor remains a Boise State University faculty member.) Scott Yenor has taken a Florida-based job with a conservative think tank seeking to “stop woke policies” at the state level. However, the polarizing political science professor remains a Boise […]
Analysis: School choice is a quagmire for Critchfield, and a proxy fight for Idaho’s GOP
This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on Jan. 19, 2023. For Idaho’s new superintendent of public instruction, private schools are a political quagmire. Debbie Critchfield stepped right back into the muck Monday. Appearing before the Senate Education Committee — and fielding a question from Sen. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, a stalwart school choice advocate — […]
Analysis: Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s ambitious scholarship plan is still a rough draft
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on January 12, 2023 In a surprise from his State of the State address Monday, Gov. Brad Little unveiled an ambitious $80 million-a-year scholarship program. It would be, by far, Idaho’s largest taxpayer-funded scholarship. And Idaho’s most versatile scholarship. High school graduates could use the money to pursue a two- or […]
North Idaho College’s interim president has a contract through June 2024
This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on Jan. 4, 2023. North Idaho College’s new interim president has a contract that runs at least 18 months — at $235,000 a year. In addition, Greg South will receive a $35,000 signing bonus, and contributions into his retirement account worth an additional $35,000 a year. South’s contract, […]
Chairman Lent on 2023 session: ‘A very interesting year ahead of us’
This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on Jan. 3, 2023. The new chairman of the Senate Education Committee brings a wide-ranging background to the job. Before Dave Lent was elected to the Legislature, he served a dozen years on the Idaho Falls School Board. Lent has served not only on Senate Education, but on […]
Suspect arrested in connection with University of Idaho slayings
Originally published and updated on IdahoEdNews.org on Dec. 30, 2022. A Washington State University student has been arrested in Pennsylvania in connection with the Nov. 13 slayings of four University of Idaho students. Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was arrested in Pennsylvania’s Pocono mountain region; according to ABC News, he was arrested at a location where he’d […]
The latest at NIC: A lawsuit, a warning letter, a series of no-confidence votes
This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on Dec. 19, 2022. It’s been a news-filled few days for North Idaho College — and none of the news is good. On Friday, President Nick Swayne sued the college, protesting trustees’ Dec. 8 decision to put him on paid administrative leave. On Saturday, a regional governing body […]