The Idaho House of Representatives voted to recess without taking action on Senate Bill 1193, effectively turning away a federal preschool development grant for $6 million. Communities across Idaho have been meeting for months to design homegrown early learning programs for young children. The $6 million grant would have flowed to these communities for implementation of their plans, which include …
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The House Democratic Caucus released the following statement after far-right lawmakers objected to Rep. Chris Mathias’ debate on the higher education budget: “We stand with Rep. Mathias — the Idaho Legislature’s first and only black male representative, as well as the former chief academic officer for the State Board of Education — who stood today to fight for our state’s …
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The Senate passed House Bill 377 in a 27-8 vote Monday in hopes of pacifying far-right lawmakers, who have held both the public and higher education budgets hostage due to unfounded concerns over curricula in Idaho schools. The legislation, which passed out of the Senate Education Committee on a 6-3 vote the same day, seeks to dictate teachers’ discussions with …
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On Thursday, the House GOP passed a bill to discourage educators from teaching anything in relation to “social justice,” as a way to pacify far-right legislators, who have held both the public and higher education budgets hostage due to unfounded concerns over curricula in Idaho schools. House Bill 377 was opposed by all Democrats, and passed along party lines, 57-12. …
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You’re being bamboozled. Republican Party leaders repeatedly say you should be afraid of “tax-and-spend Democrats.” Instead, there are over two billion reasons you should be afraid of them. Over the last five years, the legislature has forced school districts across the state to float nearly $2.1 BILLION in local bonds and levies. This includes many conservative, rural school districts across the …
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Work, family and our children. These are the values embedded in the Idaho Working Families Agenda that House Democrats unveiled this week. We propose a package of tax and budget solutions that deliver benefits to Idahoans who are often overlooked. The agenda has three components: tax credits for working Idaho families, lower property taxes for homeowners and seniors, and targeted …
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The Idaho Joint Democratic Caucus held a virtual news conference Wednesday highlighting the need to “put people over power plays,” emphasizing the urgency to move away from bills that grab more power for the legislature and instead use the limited remaining time in the 2021 Legislative Session to address education, property taxes and infrastructure. House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel and …
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The House Minority Caucus unveiled its “Idaho Working Families Agenda,” a comprehensive plan to deliver tax benefits to working families and boost critical education investments to help Idaho children learn basic skills, including reading. House Assistant Minority Leader Rep. Lauren Necochea, D-Boise, presented the proposal during a virtual news conference at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday with members of the media. Necochea …
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Last spring when the coronavirus spread into Idaho communities, no one knew what our schools should do in this unprecedented situation. Yet from that moment on, school leaders did what we always do: monitor and adjust. As we work through a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, Idaho’s classrooms and our teachers’ instructional delivery looks remarkably different from last year. But we must remember …
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Democratic lawmakers presented a slate of legislative priorities for the 2021 session in a news conference Monday at the Statehouse in Boise. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, and House Minority Leader Rep. Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, discussed potential legislation with members of the media during the event, and also issued a response to Gov. Brad Little’s State of the …
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