House Education Committee Takes Another Shortcut, Fails to Address Causes of Teacher Shortage The most disturbing alternative certification bill yet, HB 221, passed the House Education Committee on a party-line vote of 12-3. This bill would allow school districts to bypass state certification and “self-certify” anyone meeting these minimal qualification thresholds Be 18 years old…
Not one. Not a single piece of legislation has been proposed during this session that is supportive of public schools or aimed at helping students and schools recover from the impact of the COVID-19 health crisis. Instead, the legislature has focused on bills that cut taxes, curtail safety on campus, and neutralize the voices of…
February 12, 2021 Bill to Limit Bond and Levy Elections Moves Out of Committee Legislation that would limit when school districts could run critical bonds and levies has passed the House State Affairs Committee with all but one Republican voting in favor. Education stakeholder groups and officials from multiple school districts testified against HB 106, contending…
IEA Hotline—January 29, 2021 “Be on Our Side”, Teacher of the Year Tells Legislators IEA Member Jorge Pulleiro Shares Experiences and Insight with Education Committees Jorge Pulleiro, a teacher at Wood River Middle School in Blaine County, seized upon the opportunity to address both the House and Senate Education Committees in his role as Idaho’s…
IEA Hotline—January 22, 2021 Little Pushes Back on Legislative Efforts to Overturn Emergency Declaration In the most forceful language of his gubernatorial term, Idaho Governor Brad Little criticized efforts by the legislature to half his emergency declaration on COVID-19. “The legislature is playing politics and the losers of this shameful game would Idaho citizens,” Little…
IEA Hotline—January 15, 2021 IEA Responds to Gov. Little’s Budget as 2021 Session Gets Underway The unique 2021 legislative session kicked off Monday with the annual State of the State Address from Gov. Brad Little. The governor shared his plans for the $600 million budget surplus, which includes more than $450 million in tax cuts,…