The IEA has confirmed that the House and Senate Education Committees will meet jointly next Thursday, March 17th, to discuss school choice, vouchers, and the Blaine Amendment. Senate Education Chair Dean Mortimer (R-Idaho Falls), announced to the members of his committee that the two panels are tentatively set to meet jointly in the afternoon, although the exact time of the meeting has yet to be confirmed.
The joint committee will not be making any decisions regarding any piece of legislation, including HJR 1. However, the concerns that brought about the introduction of this legislation will be discussed. IEA and other education stakeholders will be on hand to provide our point of view regarding school choice, vouchers, tax credits, and the Blaine Amendment. You can read more about HJR 1 and the IEA’s opposition to it in a previous Hotline.
We encourage all Hotline readers to attend the hearing, if you are able. Public testimony will be taken. This is a great opportunity for the public to weigh in regarding the value of keeping our public schools public.
Clarification of Leadership Premium Story
In yesterday’s Hotline we had a story about SB 1266 being effectively killed by the legislature following reports of calculation errors and other issues in the implementation and reporting of leadership premiums. Please note that the existing leadership premium legislation and funding remain in place. SB 1266 would have increased the minimum threshold for premiums to individual teachers from $850 to $900. About $1.04 million in additional funding for teacher compensation would have been available if the new legislation had become law.
Filing Deadline for State and Federal Elections has Passed
Candidates had until 5:00 PM Friday to submit their official filings to the Secretary of State’s office in order to be eligible for the upcoming 2016 primary election. See who has filed to represent Idaho in Washington, DC as well as what state legislators will be seeking re-election and who their challengers are.
Updated Bill Tracker
If you following along at home, the IEA has a useful bill tracker that helps you see what bills have passed, failed, or are still in limbo.
| Bill Number | Sponsor | Description | Where Is It? | IEA Position |
| HB 379aaS | DeMordaunt | Computer Science: Requires the SDE to develop K-12 computer science standards, provides for professional development opportunities, and provides for distribution of grants to local schools. | Passed House (66-2-2); Passed Senate (34-0-1); referred to House Education for concurrence | Support |
| HB 380 | Moyle | Income Tax: Grocery Tax Credit: Reduces income tax for the highest income earners and increases the state grocery tax credit by $10/person | Passed House (53-16-1); Senate Local Gov and Taxation | Oppose |
| HB 420 | Nate | SBAC Opt Out: Directs Superintendent of Public Instruction to begin the process to remove Idaho from SBAC Consortium; in the meantime, allows students to opt out of the statewide test | House Ways and Means |
Oppose |
| HB 442
|
Kerby | Extra Day Contracts: Allows districts to use supplemental contracts to for all teachers who work extra days beyond the end of the standard teaching contract year. | House Ed (held in committee and replaced with new bill) | Oppose |
| HB 450 | SBE | Literacy: Updates Idaho’s literacy law, expands reading interventions for K-3 students performing at basic or below basic levels on reading indicator | House Ed (held in committee and replaced with new bill) | Support |
| HB 451
|
VanOrden | Parental Notification re: Literacy: Requires parental notification and involvement in development of an appropriate reading intervention for students performing at basic or below basic. | House Ed (held in committee and replaced with new bill) | Support |
| HB 452a | SBE | Sick Leave Transfer: Removes 90 day limit on transfer of sick leave an individual may take from one state agency to another or from one school district to another | Passed House (60-9-1); Senate Floor | Support |
| HB 458a | Thayn | Advanced Opportunities: Consolidates and streamlines Idaho law pertaining to Advanced Opportunities and provides for a scholarship to eligible students | Passed House (67-0-3); Passed Senate (34-0-1); referred to House Education for concurrence |
Support |
| HB 460 | SDE | Transportation Contracts: Allows local school districts to enter into transportation contracts with local providers | House Ed (pulled) | Neutral |
| HB 476 | Nye | Class Size Data: Allows for the use of average class sizes between districts of similar size for funding purposes | Passed House (68-0-2); Senate | Support |
| HB 477a | Kerby | Student Scholarships: Provides college scholarships for students who earn high school dual credits | Passed House (66-4-0); Senate Education | Neutral |
| HB 493 | Perry | Public School Income Fund: Redirects 11.25% from fines and forfeitures remitted for motor vehicle violations from public school income fund to drug court and mental health court and family court services | Passed House (50-19-1); Senate Jud and Rules | Neutral |
| HB 512 | Chaney | Community College Trustee Elections: Requires community college trustees to be representative of specific zones of the district | Passed House (66-0-4); Senate | Neutral |
| HB 514 | Horman | School Safety: Creates an Office of School Safety and Security within the Division of Building Safety. | Passed House (51-18-0); Senate | Support |
| HB 515 | Troy | Teacher Evaluation Dates: Moves the requirement for teacher evaluation completion from May 1 to June 1; requires that a formal written evaluation be completed prior to issuing a contract; and allows the local school board to use another objective measure, if ISAT data is not available within 30 days prior to June 1. | Passed House (63-4-3); Senate | Support |
| HB 526 | VanOrden | Parental Notification re: Literacy: Requires parental notification and involvement in development of an appropriate reading intervention for students performing at basic or below basic. | Passed House (66-2-6); Senate | Support |
| HB 529 | SBE | Continuous Improvement Plans: Requires districts to include additional components in their continuous improvement plans that focus on student readiness. | House Ed (held in committee and replaced with new bill) |
Monitor |
| HB 537 | Kerby | Supplemental Contracts: Allows districts to use supplemental contracts to for all teachers who work extra days beyond the end of the standard teaching contract year. | Passed House (70-0-0); Senate Education | Support |
| HB 545 | Horman | Innovation Schools Act: Allows schools to explore innovative opportunities by circumventing existing laws for greater flexibility | House Education (pulled and replaced with new bill) | |
| HB 560 | Harris | Continuous Improvement Plans: Requires districts to include additional components in their continuous improvement plans that focus on student readiness. (previously HB 529) | Passed House (63-6-1); Senate Education | Monitor |
| HB 570 | Horman | Innovation Schools Act: Allows schools to explore innovative opportunities by circumventing existing laws for greater flexibility | House Floor | Oppose |
| HB 571 | DeMordaunt | Career Ladder and evaluations: Moves Pupil Service Staff to the existing career ladder and shifts evaluation verification from the SDE to the SBE. | House Education | Support |
| HCR 31 | McCrostie | Music In Our Schools: Proclaims March 2016 as Music In Our Schools Month | To Sec of State | Support |
| HCR 33 | Horman | School Funding Committee: Authorizes the Legislative Council to appoint a committee to study alternative school funding formula | Passed House (67-0-3); Senate 10th Order | Support |
| HJR 1 | Nate | Constitutional Amendment: Would amend Article IX, Section 5 of the Idaho Constitution to allow for the use of public funds for private and religious schools | House State Affairs | Oppose |
| SB 1210 | SBE | Professional-Technical Education: Changes the name of Division of Professional-Technical Education to Career-Technical Education and brings Idaho into alignment with common nomenclature in reference to this education. | Passed Senate (32-1-2); Passed House (66-2-2); Gov’s Desk
LAW |
Neutral |
| SB 1248 | Nonini | Charter School Teacher Contracts: Allows charter schools to issue contracts of their choice other than the state-approved standard teacher contract. | Passed Senate (22-13-2);
Passed House (55-14-1); Gov’s Desk |
Oppose |
| SB 1249 | Governor’s Office | STEM Action Center: Would provide reimbursement, upon request, for travel and necessary expenses for members of the Idaho STEM Action Center board of directors to attend meetings of the board | Passed Senate (35-0-0); Passed House (70-0-0); Gov’s Desk | Neutral |
| SB 1266 | SDE | Leadership Premiums: Would increase the minimum leadership premium amount an individual teacher could earn from $850 to $900/annually | Passed Senate (26-8-1); (pulled) | Support |
| SB 1273 | Winder | School Board Vacancies: Would prohibit a school board member subject to recall, when a majority of school board members are subject to a recall, from resigning and allowing the remaining board members from appointing a new member to that board until such a time as the recall election is certified. | Senate State Affairs (pulled) | Neutral |
| SB 1289 | SDE | Career Counseling: Provides a more equitable funding distribution of funding for career and student counseling for elementary, middle/junior high, and high schools | Senate Ed |
Support |
| SB 1290 | Patrick | College and Career Advising: Requires districts to establish plans to address college and career advising and submit annual reports to the SBE on methods used and goals achieved | Passed Senate (34-1-0); Passed House (65-3-2); Gov’s Desk | Neutral |
| SB 1293a | Souza/Den Hartog | Parental Rights: Affirms that parents or guardians hold primary responsibility for the education of the student and defines the reasonable accommodations schools will offer to parents re: their children’s education. | Passed Senate (32-2-1); House Floor | Support |
| SB 1299 | Souza/Lakey | Sunshine Reports: Requires all state and local candidates and ballot measures to report campaign finances. | Senate State Affairs, 14th Order | Neutral |
| SB 1307 | Rice | School Board Election Dates: Moves school board elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years on the November, General Election, date | Senate Ed | Neutral
|
| SB 1308 | Souza/Rice | School Trustee Zones: Requires school board trustees to be elected by the full school district electorate, and no longer by individual zones; however, trustees would still be required to live in a specific zone | Senate Ed | Neutral |
| SB 1330 | Den Hartog | Medical Self-Management: Ensures students with Type 1 Diabetes have the right to medical self-management of their disease on school property or at school-related activities. | Passed Senate (34-0-1); House H& W, referred to House Education | Neutral |
| SB 1331 | Mortimer | Public Education Stabilization Fund: Provides a mechanism for the PESF to receive funds when the receipts of the General Fund exceed the receipts of the previous year by more than 4% | Senate Ed | Monitoring |
| SB 1332 | Mortimer | Industry Partner Fund: Creates an Industry Partner Fund to be used by professional-technical colleges for skills-gap and training. Funding would come from industry partners | Senate, 14th Order | Neutral |
| SB 1333 | Mortimer/Malek | Broadband Infrastructure Investment Grant Board (BIIGB): Creates the BIIGB and outlines the application process for local school districts to apply for grants to build broadband infrastructure. | Passed Senate (33-0-2); House Education | Neutral |
| SB 1334 | Mortimer/Malek | Education Opportunity Resource Committee. Provides broadband and related services to students; establishes an Education Opportunity Resource Committee in the SDE and outlines the duties of the committee. | Passed Senate (33-0-2); House Education | Neutral |
| SB 1335 | Nuxoll | Executive Session re: Real Property Purchases: Allows school board to utilize Executive Session to discuss the sale of real property | Senate State Affairs | Neutral |
| SB 1336 | Patrick | Citizenship Test Alternative: Exempts special education students from the requirement that they pass the citizenship test in order to graduate unless their IEP requires successful completion of the test. | Passed Senate (34-0-1); Passed House (69-0-1); Gov’s Desk | Support |
| SB 1337 | SBE | Charter School Replication: Amends Idaho Charter School law to ensure additional transparency regarding the management of these schools and streamlines the process for replicating high achieving charter schools. | Senate Ed (held in committee and replaced with new bill) | Neutral |
| SB 1342a | Nuxoll | Bible in Schools: Codifies the practice of using the Bible for reference in public schools | Passed Senate (31-3-1); House Education | Neutral |
| SB 1376 | SBE | Charter School Replication: Amends Idaho Charter School law to ensure additional transparency regarding the management of these schools and streamlines the process for replicating high achieving charter schools. | Senate Floor | Neutral |
| SCR 134 | Brad Little, Lt. Gov | 60% Postsecondary Degree/Certificate: Affirms the SBE goal of ensuring 60% of Idahoans aged 25-34 attain a postsecondary degree or certificate by 2020. | Passed Senate (33-0-2); House | Support |
