Kevin’s blog

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

Little sticks to familiar themes at City Club forum

With seven of Idaho’s eight college and university presidents in attendance, Gov. Brad Little pledged to work on a longterm funding solution for higher education.

Advocacy group gives Idaho charter law high marks for improvement

Idaho’s law ranks No. 17 among the nation’s 45 charter school laws, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools said in a report released Monday. A year ago, Idaho ranked No. 21.

Schools receive mediocre grades in latest Boise State survey

Sixty-five percent of respondents rated Idaho’s schools as “fair” or “poor,” according to Boise State University’s annual public policy survey released Monday. Those numbers mirror previous results.

Updated: Superintendent Ybarra’s schedule, Jan. 27-31

State superintendent Sherri Ybarra has updated the weekly schedule on her website — which was originally blank Monday morning.

Video: This week’s ‘Idaho Reports’

This week’s edition is — mostly — all about “Education Week” at the Statehouse.

Veteran pay raises will likely hinge on an accountability metric

Gov. Brad Little’s staff and legislators have been talking behind the scenes about how to tie raises to student performance. The topic surfaced during a budget hearing Thursday morning.

VIDEO: ‘Education 2020’ on Idaho Public Television

If you missed an in-depth look at K-12 and higher education in Idaho, you can watch it here.

Ehardt’s transgender athlete proposal goes national

Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, wants to require transgender student athletes to participate on teams aligned to their birth gender. It’s unclear when her bill might get a hearing.

Lawmaker seeks to crack down on ‘repeat’ bond issues

Rep. Heather Scott is re-running a bill requiring school districts and other local governments to wait at least 11 months before re-running a bond issue.