Disassembling Public Education
Michelle Stennett
February 15, 2020
"With malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the works we are in."
--Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Closing Paragraph, March 4, 1865
Disassembling Public Education
Idaho's Constitution provides, "The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people, it shall be the duty of the legislature of Idaho, to establish and maintain a general, uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools."
For years, educators, parents, and education officials have collaborated to improve Idaho public schools, including significant efforts to create Idaho specific standards. These standards establish a consistent baseline while allowing each school district to augment or tailor curriculum to local needs. It is discouraging to see that this tremendous effort is not being honored by the Legislature:
The House Education Committee voted down Idaho's teacher certification standards and English, science, and math content standards. If the Senate had taken the same tact, we could have lost $260 million in federal dollars, spent $50 to 100 million more to redo the standards, and cost local school districts substantial dollar amounts to replace textbooks and other materials to align with any new standards. Idaho standards have already been extensively studied by Idaho educators and parents. So the Senate's passage of another interim committee, at a cost of $10,000, makes no sense.
The Senate Education Committee is considering a bill to let parents keep their kids out of school for as much as 35 percent of the school year under some circumstances.
The Governor's budget gives public K-12 teachers a raise with one hand, but takes it away by forcing them to cover their increase in health care costs with the other.
The Governor's budget, combined with a tuition freeze, is forcing our public higher education institutions to cut instructors and services.
The House has passed H347, which prevents all taxing districts, including school districts, from running bonds for eleven months after one fails. Idaho districts already face the high hurdle of needing a 2/3 vote to pass a bond.
Further, the House is considering a bill to reduce the previously negotiated number of election dates available for districts to run bonds and levies. Eliminating the March date means that districts will struggle to schedule bond and levy elections and budget effectively for hiring teachers for the next school year.
Our distribution of state revenue for school facilities actually incentivizes some public schools to close and reopen as private charter schools, with $426.00 per pupil going to charter schools and only $151.00 per pupil going to traditional schools.
And our distribution of state revenues on a per student basis gives more money to charter schools than to public schools because charter schools students are funded as if they are in a small rural district when in essence most are in urban districts. Once again a proposal to revise the school funding formula is under consideration in the House.
The House Education Committee is considering a bill to restrict the start of the school year, which would preclude school districts from being responsive to local needs.
Three members of the House Education Committee walked out of a hearing in the middle of testimony aligned with the Governor's education task force recommendation on social emotional learning. This is a crucial task when Idaho's suicide rate ranks about fifth in the nation and 23 percent of students have seriously considered suicide in the last year.
Electric Vehicle Resolution Voted Down
The Senate voted down SCR131, which was a resolution to have the Idaho Building Code Board voluntarily consider adopting electric vehicle-capable building codes for multifamily residential dwellings and commercial buildings. This resolution merely called for consideration of best practices to approach infrastructure for electric vehicles. The Building Code Board consists of contractors, members of the public, journeymen, power providers, and electric suppliers. Any proposed changes to the building codes by the Board would include public comment and approval by the legislature before being implemented.
The electric vehicle market is expanding rapidly. From 2017 and 2018, electric vehicle sales in the United States grew by over 80 percent. Every major automobile manufacturer in the world plans to electrify their vehicle fleet. By the time new codes could be implemented, electric vehicles may well represent over half of all new vehicles sold in the United States.
Planning ahead to provide for electric vehicle charging would be safer and more cost-effective than retrofitting. For example, the estimated cost of incorporating building designs that include electric vehicle-capable parking spaces ranges from $280 to $760 per parking space, compared to $7,000 to $8,000 per parking space for a later retrofit.
Governor Little previously issued a Proclamation of Electric Vehicle Day. Also, Idaho is one of eight western states that have signed onto the voluntary Regional Vehicle Plan for the West, which includes recommendations to incorporate charging infrastructure into planning efforts. This resolution was supported by all Idaho's utilities, the building officials, and the Idaho Mining Association. So, it is especially disappointing it failed the Senate.
District 26 Town Halls
Representatives Sally Toone, Muffy Davis, and I thank everyone who attended our town halls across District 26 last weekend. Turn-out was high and it was wonderful to hear from so many engaged constituents.
Fairfield Town Hall
February 21, 2020
6:00pm
Senior Center
Sen. Michelle Stennett is the Senate Minority Leader. She represents Blaine, Camas, Gooding, and Lincoln counties in the Idaho State Legislature.
Respectfully,
Michelle