Kevin’s blog
From the weekend, an Idaho education viewer’s guide
Want to catch up on school safety issues and the K-12 funding formula rewrite? Watch here.
Superintendent Ybarra’s schedule: Feb. 4-8
Among the items on the schedule: a two-hour meeting to review the draft of the bill to overhaul Idaho’s school funding formula.
Senate panel OKs 12th-grade meningococcal vaccine
Barring the unexpected, the state will add the meningitis vaccine to its list of immunization guidelines.
Turnaround schools bill heads to Senate floor
If passed, the bill would assign professional consultants to schools or districts that commit to a three-year improvement plan. But the bill is voluntary, and schools would have to opt in.
How accurate is Ybarra’s mastery ‘waiting list’?
The state superintendent says she has up to 50 districts that want to experiment with mastery-based learning. At least one superintendent and one principal say they never approached the state about the idea.
Why school budget increases haven’t translated into teacher pay raises
Education Week examined the issue closely in a recent article. One factor: Many local administrators decided to put new state dollars into other needs — such as adding teachers, bringing back positions cut during the recession or plugging holes in pension funds.
Weiser names new superintendent
Elementary school principal Wade Wilson will take over the top job on July 1, succeeding retiring Superintendent Wil Overgaard.
About the state’s mastery school waiting list …
Fifty districts and schools are on the informal list — but it’s unclear how many of these schools are still interested in the concept.
Superintendent Ybarra’s schedule: Jan. 28-Feb. 1
The House Education Committee will hear the state superintendent explain her budget priorities, including her school safety plan.
Idaho schools get lackluster grades in new Boise State survey
Respondents said education is the most pressing issue facing Idaho. But only 32 percent rated the state’s K-12 system as “excellent” or “good.”