The House and Senate Education Committees held a listening session in the Lincoln Auditorium on Monday afternoon, giving Idaho citizens a chance to ask questions or voice opinions on education issues. The primary focus was on the 20 recommendations of the Governor’s Task Force, while no comments/questions were taken on the Idaho Core Standards, which had time specifically set aside for a panel discussion last Wednesday.
About a half dozen citizens signed up to testify and share their concerns about the Governor’s Task Force recommendations. Comments were wide-ranging from pre-school programs and mastery-based learning to local autonomy. Several speakers strongly encouraged the legislature to restore operational funding to school districts. The IEA, IASA, and ISBA presented a joint statement of support for the Governor’s Task Force recommendations and a roadmap for moving forward with the implementation of the 20 recommendations.
