The House State Affairs Committee called off Thursday’s scheduled hearing on House Joint Resolution 1, which would open the door for public funds to be used for private and parochial schools. No reason for the cancellation was given, nor is there an indication when the bill may be heard.
In Tuesday’s Hotline we encouraged you to make your voice heard about this issue by calling or e-mailing members of the committee. A big thank you to those of you who reached out and made contact. The public can and does influence legislative decisions. It is important that we remain vigilant and continue to tell House State Affairs Committee members to ditch this bad idea.
Idahoans know that public money funds should be spent on public schools and not private or religious-based schools with very little oversight or accountability. Read more about why you should be concerned about this development on the IEA website.
Charter School Teacher Contract Bill
We are also working to kill SB 1248, which has passed the Senate Education Committee and could be heard by the full Senate as early as Monday. This bill would give charter schools carte blanche to use any contract that they see fit, rather than the state-approved teacher contract that is used for traditional public school teachers. The change outlined in this legislation could potentially lead to vast inconsistencies among schools and a destabilization of the teacher workforce.
The IEA, ISBA, and IASA all testified against SB 1248. Now lawmakers need to hear from you. Let your senator know that this legislation is unnecessary and would have a high likelihood of doing more harm than good.
Melyssa Ferro on 670-KBOI Thursday
Catch IEA/Caldwell Education Association member and 2016 Idaho Teacher of the Year Melyssa Ferro on 670-KBOI in Boise tomorrow morning at 9:00. Ferro will join hosts Paul J. Schneider and Chris Walton for an interview about her recent address to a Joint Education Committee, the importance of STEM for the state’s future, and what Idaho needs to do to attract and retain quality teachers.
If you are outside of the Boise area you can listen online.
