2018 Idaho Legislature

Senate Education to take up science standards Wednesday

The Senate committee will take testimony Wednesday, but won’t vote. Earlier this month, every speaker at House Education Committee hearings urged lawmakers to approve the academic standards in full.

Scott seeks to clamp down on ‘repeat’ bond issues and levies

Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, wants school districts and local governments to have to wait a year before running a failed bond issue or levy.

Staben sees ‘some opportunity’ in higher ed CEO proposal

The $769,500 proposal could help streamline higher education operations, University of Idaho President Chuck Staben said. But the details need to be cleared up. “I think we have to work out exactly what that initiative looks like.”

In other K-12 news, sex ed and ‘education freedom’ bills surface

Rep. Julie VanOrden wants to rewrite a sex education law that hasn’t been updated since 1970. And Rep. Ron Nate wants Idaho to say no to federal K-12 money … gradually.

As Idaho’s ELL population grows, the budget is likely to follow

Since 2015-16, the number of English language learners in Idaho has increased from 13,000 to 16,000. Gov. Butch Otter and state superintendent Sherri Ybarra want to put more money into ELL.

Retiring presidents push for additional college scholarships

But retiring Boise State University Bob Kustra minced no words about Gov. Butch Otter’s higher education “CEO” proposal. He again questioned whether the state can wring tens of millions of dollars of savings from the higher ed system.

Community colleges pitch for funding, discuss dual credit boom

As more high school students take college-level classes on the state’s nickel, Idaho’s community colleges are feeling the effects.

Budget-writers start drilling into higher ed ‘CEO’ proposal

Lawmakers wanted to know how much the new office would cost — and how much the state could save by streamlining university programs. Some answers were sketchy.

Idaho’s average teacher salary increases by 3.6 percent

The pay raises are the largest in the era of the “career ladder,” Idaho’s five-year, $250 million plan to boost teacher pay. The average teacher salary now exceeds $48,000.