Carl Crabtree Returns to Senate Education Committee
Sen. Carl Crabtree
Some shuffling of committee assignments has brought Sen. Carl Crabtree, R-Grangeville, back to the Senate Education Committee. He replaces Sen. Don Cheatham, who is in his first year in the Senate after previously serving in the House, including sitting on the House Education Committee. Crabtree was a member of the Senate Education Committee for the last two years but had not originally been slated for that committee in the 2019 session. The moves were necessitated by the recent resignation of Sen. Cliff Bayer.
IEA President Talks Education Policy and Funding with Boise State Public Radio
On the heels of Gov. Little’s first State of the State address earlier in the week, IEA President Kari Overall joined host Gemma Gaudette for an interview on Boise State Public Radio’s Idaho Matters Wednesday. They discussed a variety of education issues, including
- Minimum teacher salaries and the Career Ladder
- A proposed new K-12 task force to look at the long-term future of education in Idaho
- Early childhood literacy
- The importance of pre-K education and how Idaho might provide more options
- Key issues to watch during the current legislative session
Click here to listen to the full interview.
Left, Gemma Gaudette, host of Boise State Public Radio and IEA President, Kari Overall
Key Legislative Committee Lowers State Budget Projection
Idaho’s Joint Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee has recommended the legislature work with a growth projection of 5.7 percent, which is considerably lower than the 8.2 percent used by Gov. Little in his recent budget proposal. The difference adds up to about $93 million. Read more about this disparity and the ongoing concern from legislators about reduced tax receipts and a flattening economy in this story from Idaho Education News.
Looking Ahead: IEA at Senate Ed Monday, Funding Formula January 17,
IEA President Kari Overall will address the Senate Education Committee during their session Monday. As he has done in recent years, committee chair Sen. Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls, has requested that education stakeholders share their priorities, objections, and aspirations early in the legislative session. Overall will discuss the importance of teacher retention, as well as consistent and equitable funding streams, looking beyond test scores in evaluating teachers and students, and more. Streaming coverage of Monday’s Senate Education Committee meeting will be available here.
A joint session of the House and Senate education committees will be held Thursday, January 17 at 3:00 p.m. in the Lincoln Auditorium to discuss the recommendations of the Public School Funding Formula Committee. This will be an informational meeting and no votes or action is expected to be taken. In addition to the education committees, all legislators are being invited to attend, and a representative from ECS (Education Commission of the States) is expected to be present to answer questions. ECS worked with the Funding Formula Committee over the last three years to develop a model that could change how Idaho funds public education, but many uncertainties still surround the recommendations. Live streaming of the joint session will be available through Idaho In Session.
Funding Formula Committee co-chairs Wendy Horman and Chuck Winder, along with House Education Committee Chairman Dean Mortimer (right)
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