IDAHO

Luna deputy takes Boise principal’s job

Nick Smith — state superintendent Tom Luna’s chief deputy — says he wasn’t looking for a new job. But an opening as principal at Boise’s Lowell Elementary School was an opportunity he just couldn’t pass up.

Crapo, Risch split on Common Core

Idaho Republican Sen. Mike Crapo defers to state leaders who have worked on the academic standards. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, sympathizes with colleagues who want to cut off federal funding for Common Core.

Task force to assemble again on May 17

The 31 members of the governor’s Taskforce for Improving Education will spend its next meeting reviewing comments and suggestions gathered during a series of public forums.

Luna deputy takes Boise principal’s job

Nick Smith, the state Department of Education’s chief deputy superintendent since January, was one of four hires announced by the Boise School District Monday.

Hand-crafted timelines garnish Boise classrooms

Juno Van Ocker spent hundreds of volunteer hours to create graphic timeline sheets of Idaho history, and deliver them to 200 classrooms in Boise.

Analysis: What’s next for the K-12 task force?

When Gov. Butch Otter’s education task force fanned out for public meetings in April, Common Core wasn’t on the group’s radar, Chairman Richard Westerberg said Thursday. So what is the task force’s next move?

Idaho Falls patrons weigh in on budget cuts

During the first of three meetings, parents and employees considered strategies for cutting programs during the first of four budget workshops.

Three hours of Boise speakers end sessions

A near capacity crowd at the Statehouse listened to leaders in Idaho education talk on a variety of topics, and a number of parents who called for abandoning Common Core standards.

A second career in crisis management

Thomas Michaelson came out of retirement to lead the financially strapped Nampa School District — and it’s a longer and more complicated job than he expected.