Members of the House and Senate Education Committees met in joint session on Wednesday afternoon to hear from a panel of proponents and opponents of the Idaho Core Standards. Committee members were not the only people interested in hearing more about the standards. The Lincoln Auditorium at the Idaho Capitol was packed with spectators.
Crowd Filing in for the Education Committee’s Joint Session on Idaho Core Standards
Sen. Goedde told the assembled group that much has been written and reported about the Idaho Core Standards. He reminded the the audience and committee members that the purpose for this meeting was to learn what was fact and what was fiction.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna, Stephanie Rice (Council School District English/Language Arts teacher), and Steve LeBau (Nampa administrator and parent) spoke about the benefits of the standards.
Bruce Cook (curriculum director for the Madison School District), Dorothy Moon (retired teacher from Challis school district and parent), and Stephanie Zimmerman (mother and founder of Idahoans for Local Education) spoke in opposition to the Idaho Core Standards.
Panelists spent two hours voicing their views on several dozen questions compiled from the more than one hundred questions submitted by members of the public. Opponents shared their fear that the Idaho Core Standards will result in local school districts losing local autonomy, and one panelist claimed the introduction of the standards was equivalent to “data-less decision-making.” However, almost all panelists agreed that based on their review, the standards appear to be appropriate.
Did this meeting change legislator’s opinion about whether Idaho should continue our support for the Idaho Core? It’s doubtful, but that remains to be seen.
The Panel Preparing to Field Questions on Idaho Core Standards
