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We believe public education is a true public good that transforms lives and creates a more just and inclusive society making it an indispensable cornerstone of our American democratic republic. Together, we defend the teaching profession and believe public education is strengthened when educators are respected for their contributions to our state and its families.
The best argument for public education in Idaho is the good, simple truth of what happens in our members’ classrooms each and every day.
Layne McInelly,
IEA President and Public School Educator
🌟 Launch of May Matters 🌟
This week, your union launched May Matters, a 14-month plan to elect sensible legislators who will protect our public education system. After a presentation to Lobby Day participants the week before, the effort formally kicked off with an all-member online town hall meeting on Tuesday.
“This legislature feels like it’s out of control,” Idaho Education Association President Layne McInelly said during the town hall. “They are power-hungry. They are intent on killing public schools in Idaho, and that’s why this grassroots movement for pro-public education representation needs to be happening back at the Statehouse.”
🧐 The central focus of May Matters? Mobilizing IEA members to turn out voters in the May 2026 primary elections and return a pro-public education majority to the Idaho Legislature.
IEA and its allies are already in the process of identifying key legislative districts where turnout will make all the difference. In the meantime, every IEA member can get started with a few simple steps:
⭐ Switch to IEA AutoPay (if you haven’t already)
⭐ Check your voter registration
⭐ Share this post
⭐ Start thinking about great candidates
⭐ Donate to PACE: https://bit.ly/3FMIBsb
Read about May Matters and what`s come in a new IEA Reporter story: https://bit.ly/4hPoFCt (clickable link is in our bio)
#IdahoEA #IDPol #IDVotes #IDLeg #Idaho
🌟 Launch of May Matters 🌟
This week, your union launched May Matters, a 14-month plan to elect sensible legislators who will protect our public education system. After a presentation to Lobby Day participants the week before, the effort formally kicked off with an all-member online town hall meeting on Tuesday.
“This legislature feels like it’s out of control,” Idaho Education Association President Layne McInelly said during the town hall. “They are power-hungry. They are intent on killing public schools in Idaho, and that’s why this grassroots movement for pro-public education representation needs to be happening back at the Statehouse.”
🧐 The central focus of May Matters? Mobilizing IEA members to turn out voters in the May 2026 primary elections and return a pro-public education majority to the Idaho Legislature.
IEA and its allies are already in the process of identifying key legislative districts where turnout will make all the difference. In the meantime, every IEA member can get started with a few simple steps:
⭐ Switch to IEA AutoPay (if you haven’t already)
⭐ Check your voter registration
⭐ Share this post
⭐ Start thinking about great candidates
⭐ Donate to PACE: https://bit.ly/3FMIBsb
Read about May Matters and what`s come in a new IEA Reporter story: https://bit.ly/4hPoFCt (clickable link is in our bio)
#IdahoEA #IDPol #IDVotes #IDLeg #Idaho
Idaho Education Association members stand in solidarity with people all over the world to say, ‘Everyone is Welcome Here.’ Every child deserves to be welcomed into a public school where they can learn, explore and grow. 💚 💙
#IdahoEA #EveryoneIsWelcomeHere
Idaho Education Association members stand in solidarity with people all over the world to say, ‘Everyone is Welcome Here.’ Every child deserves to be welcomed into a public school where they can learn, explore and grow. 💚 💙
#IdahoEA #EveryoneIsWelcomeHere
Register now at the link in our bio!
There’s a public education crisis in Idaho. Your union invites you to a special Virtual Town Hall for Idaho Education Association members about our May Matters campaign — a new strategic initiative to take back our public schools at the ballot box.
Tomorrow, March 25
Zoom Webinar
7PM MST
Open to IEA members only. Registration is required.
Register now at the link in our bio!
There’s a public education crisis in Idaho. Your union invites you to a special Virtual Town Hall for Idaho Education Association members about our May Matters campaign — a new strategic initiative to take back our public schools at the ballot box.
Tomorrow, March 25
Zoom Webinar
7PM MST
Open to IEA members only. Registration is required.
🗓️ IEA Virtual Town Hall
Tuesday, March 25
Zoom, 7PM MST
Your union invites you to a special Virtual Town Hall for Idaho Education Association members about our May Matters campaign — a new strategic initiative to take back our public schools at the ballot box. We’ll break down our plan to elect pro-public education candidates in the May 2026 primary elections, why this is the most important fight ahead and how you can play a role.
Open to IEA members only. Registration is required.
🟢 Register: https://bit.ly/4is9sII 🔵
#IdahoEA #IDPol #PublicEducation #IDEDU #IdahoEducators
🗓️ IEA Virtual Town Hall
Tuesday, March 25
Zoom, 7PM MST
Your union invites you to a special Virtual Town Hall for Idaho Education Association members about our May Matters campaign — a new strategic initiative to take back our public schools at the ballot box. We’ll break down our plan to elect pro-public education candidates in the May 2026 primary elections, why this is the most important fight ahead and how you can play a role.
Open to IEA members only. Registration is required.
🟢 Register: https://bit.ly/4is9sII 🔵
#IdahoEA #IDPol #PublicEducation #IDEDU #IdahoEducators
You`re angry. You should be.
The 2025 Idaho legislative session is on track to be one of the worst for public education in over a decade.
Vouchers, contemptuous disregard of public opinion, attacks on student and educator rights, attempts to force religious mores into taxpayer-funded classrooms, book bans and bad library bills, stripping local school boards of authority, continued chronic underfunding and inequity — the tragic list of anti-public education policies pushed by lawmakers goes on and on.
The Idaho Legislature is power-hungry, intent on killing public schools and out of touch with reality. They need to be voted out of office.
And we are going to do it. ✊
IEA President Layne McInelly invites all members to a virtual town hall next week to learn about how we are building the foundation for a grassroots movement called May Matters to elect pro-public education legislators in the May 2026 primaries and engage IEA members to help campaign and get out the vote.
🚨 Register for the all-member, virtual town hall on Tuesday, March 25 at 7pm: https://bit.ly/4is9sII (Clickable link is in our bio)
Learn more about May Matters: idahoea.org/may-matters
#IdahoEA #IDPol #IdahoEducators #IDEDU
You`re angry. You should be.
The 2025 Idaho legislative session is on track to be one of the worst for public education in over a decade.
Vouchers, contemptuous disregard of public opinion, attacks on student and educator rights, attempts to force religious mores into taxpayer-funded classrooms, book bans and bad library bills, stripping local school boards of authority, continued chronic underfunding and inequity — the tragic list of anti-public education policies pushed by lawmakers goes on and on.
The Idaho Legislature is power-hungry, intent on killing public schools and out of touch with reality. They need to be voted out of office.
And we are going to do it. ✊
IEA President Layne McInelly invites all members to a virtual town hall next week to learn about how we are building the foundation for a grassroots movement called May Matters to elect pro-public education legislators in the May 2026 primaries and engage IEA members to help campaign and get out the vote.
🚨 Register for the all-member, virtual town hall on Tuesday, March 25 at 7pm: https://bit.ly/4is9sII (Clickable link is in our bio)
Learn more about May Matters: idahoea.org/may-matters
#IdahoEA #IDPol #IdahoEducators #IDEDU
In moments of struggle and chaos, look for the helpers.
Joy Weisel, co-president of the Caldwell Education Association, is one of those people. At the IEA`s annual Delegate Assembly next month, she`ll receive the Membership Recruiter Award for her work in revitalizing her local association.
“That’s the part I get most excited about,” she said. “[Members are] coming to the meetings, and a lot of them are not people that came last year. They’re coming, and they’re finding enough value in the union that they’re bringing other people. And that is amazing.”
“This is a really hard year, and I’m not going to negate that for anyone — we are all really struggling and drinking out of the fire hose, but it’s not going to be like this forever,” she said. “And it’s also not going to get better if we don’t do something about it.”
Read our profile of Weisel and her tips for building a stronger local in a new IEA Reporter story: https://bit.ly/41D9dmLv (click the link in our bio)
#IdahoEA #IdahoTeachers #IdahoEducators #CaldwellID
In moments of struggle and chaos, look for the helpers.
Joy Weisel, co-president of the Caldwell Education Association, is one of those people. At the IEA`s annual Delegate Assembly next month, she`ll receive the Membership Recruiter Award for her work in revitalizing her local association.
“That’s the part I get most excited about,” she said. “[Members are] coming to the meetings, and a lot of them are not people that came last year. They’re coming, and they’re finding enough value in the union that they’re bringing other people. And that is amazing.”
“This is a really hard year, and I’m not going to negate that for anyone — we are all really struggling and drinking out of the fire hose, but it’s not going to be like this forever,” she said. “And it’s also not going to get better if we don’t do something about it.”
Read our profile of Weisel and her tips for building a stronger local in a new IEA Reporter story: https://bit.ly/41D9dmLv (click the link in our bio)
#IdahoEA #IdahoTeachers #IdahoEducators #CaldwellID
House Bill 382 is set to be heard in the House Education Committee tomorrow, March 13th — and we need your voice to help defeat it.
This dangerous bill would require Idaho’s public schools and universities to track and report the immigration status of students, publishing this data in aggregate form and sharing with the Superintendent of Public Instruction for public dissemination.
House Bill 382 introduces significant risks to student well-being, educational access and community trust. While framed as a data collection effort, it could lead to harmful consequences, including heightened fear, discrimination and disengagement from school. Schools should be safe, welcoming spaces for all students, and policies like this threaten that fundamental principle.
💬 What can you do?
📞 Call or email House Education Committee members and urge them to VOTE NO on HB 382.
🏫 Speak up for our students—schools should be safe and welcoming for all.
🔗 https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2025/standingcommittees/HEDU/ (Clickable link is in our bio -- click on the second tab-"Members"-for legislator contact information.)
#NoOnHB382 #IdahoEA #IDEd #IDPol #IDLeg
House Bill 382 is set to be heard in the House Education Committee tomorrow, March 13th — and we need your voice to help defeat it.
This dangerous bill would require Idaho’s public schools and universities to track and report the immigration status of students, publishing this data in aggregate form and sharing with the Superintendent of Public Instruction for public dissemination.
House Bill 382 introduces significant risks to student well-being, educational access and community trust. While framed as a data collection effort, it could lead to harmful consequences, including heightened fear, discrimination and disengagement from school. Schools should be safe, welcoming spaces for all students, and policies like this threaten that fundamental principle.
💬 What can you do?
📞 Call or email House Education Committee members and urge them to VOTE NO on HB 382.
🏫 Speak up for our students—schools should be safe and welcoming for all.
🔗 https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2025/standingcommittees/HEDU/ (Clickable link is in our bio -- click on the second tab-"Members"-for legislator contact information.)
#NoOnHB382 #IdahoEA #IDEd #IDPol #IDLeg