2020 Idaho Legislature

Statehouse roundup, 1.30.20: House calls for waiting period on failed bond issues

A bill that would force school districts to wait at least 11 months to reintroduce a failed a bond issue is headed to the Senate.

Statehouse roundup, 1.29.20: House Education faces pressure to act on standards

Meanwhile, a school scheduling bill has been derailed — for now — in the Senate.

Statehouse roundup, 1.27.20: Bill to limit ‘repeat’ bond issues heads to House floor

Meanwhile, it took 22 legislative days, but the House Education Committee took up its first bill Monday.

Tromp touts innovation — but cautions against further budget cuts

Boise State University’s new president said she is worried about maintaining the course offerings students need to graduate within four years.

Statehouse roundup, 1.23.20: Ybarra pitches 5.3 percent increase for K-12

The biggest driver of Ybarra’s 2021 budget is a $40 million proposal to increase pay for veteran teachers.

Veteran pay raises will likely hinge on an accountability metric

Gov. Brad Little’s staff and legislators have been talking behind the scenes about how to tie raises to student performance. The topic surfaced during a budget hearing Thursday morning.

Statehouse roundup, 1.22.20 State Board pushes for ‘make or break’ scholarship money

Despite an infusion of $7 million in one-time money, some 1,200 eligible students still didn’t get a share of Opportunity Scholarship money. Meanwhile, the fast-growing College of Western Idaho is poised for another big enrollment surge.

Ehardt’s transgender athlete proposal goes national

Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, wants to require transgender student athletes to participate on teams aligned to their birth gender. It’s unclear when her bill might get a hearing.

Lawmaker seeks to crack down on ‘repeat’ bond issues

Rep. Heather Scott is re-running a bill requiring school districts and other local governments to wait at least 11 months before re-running a bond issue.

Statehouse roundup, 1.21.20: Presidents discuss tuition freeze, budget realities

“We have to come up with a (funding) system that we can all agree on,” Idaho State University President Kevin Satterlee told legislative budget-writers Tuesday.