Friday marks the end of Debbie Critchfield’s first legislative session as state superintendent — and she spent part of the day celebrating one final legislative win.
Gov. Brad Little signed into law Critchfield’s career technical education legislation Friday morning. The legislation will create and fund new opportunities for CTE, especially in the rural and remote regions of the state.
The legislation was well-anticipated after Critchfield spent the bulk of her campaign and early days in office touting the importance of CTE. Workforce training, according to the superintendent, is an important tool to help Idaho students make career decisions, and help schools and communities foster local partnerships.
In a Friday press release, Critchfield described the legislation as a “gamechanger.”
“This legislation has so many upsides for Idaho students, our communities and local industry,” Critchfield said. “This was one of my top legislative priorities coming into office and I’m excited that it’s come to fruition.”
The bill was Critchfield’s third and final piece of legislation to be signed into law by the governor. All three laws will go into effect July 1.
As for the rest of Critchfield’s day, she kicked off her Friday with a one-on-one meeting with Ryan Cantrell, chief deputy superintendent for the SDE. She then met with State Board of Education President Kurt Liebich, and Matthew Reiber, policy advisor for the governor.
She then departed for Oakley, and took calls with SDE staff members and other education stakeholders throughout the afternoon.
