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Senate passes key education budgets, including higher education
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on May 4, 2021 On the 114th day of the 2021 legislative session, the education budget debates effectively came to a conclusion. On Tuesday afternoon, the Senate approved the biggest education budgets on their docket — a K-12 teacher salaries bill and a reduced higher education budget. Both of these bills […]
House passes higher ed, teacher salaries budgets
House passes higher ed, teacher salaries budgets Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on May 3, 2021 Over the course of Monday afternoon, the House finally broke a logjam on several key education budgets — including the contentious higher education budget. The House approved the higher ed budget on a 49-20 vote. The higher ed budget still […]
Analysis: A bad week and a rough session for the facts
Analysis: A bad week and a rough session for the facts Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on April 29, 2021 The 2021 Legislature took its ugliest turn on its 108th day, when the House Ethics Committee weighed a sexual assault complaint against first-year Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger. Committee members tried to keep Wednesday’s hearing focused on […]
Reclaim Idaho files new K-12 education funding initiative
Reclaim Idaho files new K-12 funding initiative Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on April 29, 2021 The group behind the 2018 Medicaid expansion initiative is adopting a two-pronged political strategy. Reclaim Idaho is planning to sue the state over a new state law that could make it much more difficult to get an initiative on a […]
Analysis: By staying silent, the State Board loses the education narrative
Analysis: By staying silent, the State Board loses the education narrative Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on April 22, 2021 On Day 102 of the third longest legislative session in Idaho history, Gov. Brad Little and his State Board of Education tried to take back the narrative Thursday. A bit. And carefully. Little — who has […]
Analysis: Little and Ybarra duck and dodge raging social justice debate
Analysis: Little and Ybarra duck and dodge raging social justice debate Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on April 15, 2021 Some education leaders are coming in hot, speaking out forcefully about the Statehouse social justice showdown. Meanwhile, Gov. Brad Little and state superintendent Sherri Ybarra are ducking and dodging. Unlike these elected officials, University of Idaho […]
State Board, college presidents agree on another tuition freeze
State Board, college presidents agree on another tuition freeze Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on April 14, 2021 Voting unanimously — but reluctantly — the State Board of Education took a big step to continue Idaho’s tuition freeze. During a virtual meeting Wednesday afternoon, the board directed college and university presidents to work with State Board […]
Senate committee kills sex education ‘opt-in’ bill
Senate committee kills sex education ‘opt-in’ bill Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on April 7, 2021 An “opt-in” bill for courses in human sexuality is dead for the session. On a 5-4 vote, the Senate Education Committee rejected House Bill 249, which would have given parents the right to opt their children into classes on sexuality. […]
Senate kills Strong Families grant bill…maybe
Senate kills Strong Students grant bill Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on April 6, 2021 The Senate Tuesday narrowly defeated a bill to create a “Strong Students” grant program for low-income families. The 16-18 vote — and the hour of sharply divided floor debate — reflected the controversy surrounding the grant bill, House Bill 294. Sen. […]