Kevin’s blog

Expert analysis and the latest news from award-winning journalist Kevin Richert.

State Board chief makes sobering push for scholarship money

Some students are being told not to bother to apply for the state-funded scholarships, State Board executive director Matt Freeman said Friday.

This week’s topic: Idaho’s latest round of troubling high school graduation numbers.

Were virtual schools unfairly blamed for Idaho’s declining graduation rate? The issue is complicated. So is the math.

Twenty-three teachers will share $48,175 in grants. They were selected from a field of 104 applicants.

Rep. Mike Moyle’s $27.8 million plan would reduce corporate and income tax rates, and increase the grocery tax credit for some Idahoans.

The new money is designed to accommodate added enrollment growth — equivalent to nearly 50 classrooms statewide.

High school graduation rates for virtual charter schools came in at 20 percent. Alternative high schools had a 36 percent rate.

The group, unveiled late Thursday afternoon, is unlikely to produce any legislation during the 2016 session.

The State Board of Education hopes to field test the new system during the 2016-17 school year.

The $10 million STEM Action Center fund is designed to pay for public-private partnerships for years.