IEA President Kari Overall and longtime IEA member Marc Beitia have been named to the new K-12 task force unveiled by Gov. Brad Little. The “Our Kids, Idaho’s Future” task force is made up of 26 highly respected leaders from the education profession, business community, and legislative ranks.
Overall is in her second year as IEA President after teaching in the Boise School District for 13 years. She is a tireless advocate for teachers and students and has a wealth of knowledge and experience relating to education policy. Beitia is the current Idaho Teacher of the Year and the recipient of the 2019 IEA Marsha Nakamura Award for Teaching Excellence. He founded the agriculture education program at American Falls High School and serves as the mayor of American Falls in addition to his work in the classroom.
“This task force is a terrific opportunity to develop a blueprint for public education in Idaho, with a focus on issues we know are critical—compensation for veteran educators and teacher retention, inequity in resource allocation and educational opportunity around the state, and the need for increased early childhood education,” says Overall. “We appreciate Governor Little recognizing the important role the voices of professional educators need to play in developing the policies they will implementing for years to come.”
Gov. Brad Little with co-chairs Debbie Critchfield and Bill Gilbert
“Our Kids, Idaho’s Future” will look to build on the work done by the group convened in 2013 under then-Governor Butch Otter and has been charged with establishing priorities for K-12 public education for the next five years. They are expected to provide recommendations this fall that can be acted upon during the 2020 legislative session. The new task force will begin its work in the next few weeks under the leadership of co-chairs Debbie Critchfield, President of the Idaho State Board of Education, and business leader Bill Gilbert, Managing Director of Caprock.
Click here for a complete list of task force members and official information from the governor’s office.
