News

The latest and breaking news and investigative reports about Idaho public education.

State Board reaches out to disgruntled education groups

State Board of Education member Debbie Critchfield has invited education and community groups to an intensive policy meeting on Monday.

Lawmakers call for rare summer meeting to address school accountability plan

The Legislature’s education committees will jointly meet because they have not been provided with regular updates on a plan to comply with federal education requirements.

Boise teacher elected to president of the IEA

Kari Overall, an educator from South Junior High, will take over for Penni Cyr, who is retiring after six years serving in the leadership role of Idaho’s teachers union.

Funding formula committee resumes its long slog

The panel of 10 state lawmakers is staring at a huge task: unraveling and rewriting a formula used to carve up nearly $1.7 billion in K-12 money. Not surprisingly, committee members are in no rush to finish the job.

Ybarra releases latest draft of Idaho’s ESSA compliance plan

Idaho is on its sixth draft. The state faces a Sept. 18 deadline to submit the final plan to the feds.

Charters earn mixed opinions and varied student results

Charter schools represent both the best and the worst in terms of school performance and are favored by some, shunned by others.

Idaho charter schools underserve minority and poor populations

Many Idaho charter schools still aren’t offering programs for poorer students, including free-and-reduced lunch and busing.

Funding formula committee resumes work Tuesday

It’s the second round of summer school for the 10 lawmakers who will try to rework Idaho’s 23-year-old K-12 funding formula.

Education news around Idaho

This week’s briefs feature Linda Clark’s election as president of the State Board of Education, the Governor’s Cup Scholarships winners, kids who took home prizes at the Invention Convention and Entrepreneurship competition and STEM grants awarded to local libraries.

Education groups feel disrespected over lack of ESSA participation

ISBA Executive Director Karen Echeveria is afraid Idaho’s ESSA plan will be a disaster without buy-in from the education groups affected by the federal law.