House Education Committee Approves Final Bill in Students Come First

The House Education Committee approved Senate Bill 1184 on a 12-6 vote Tuesday.  Senate Bill 1184 is the third and final bill in the Students Come First plan. The bill now heads to the full House for approval.

The other two bills in the Students Come First bill have been signed into law.

Here are excerpts from debate in the House Education Committee on Tuesday:

“We’ve been working towards this for over a decade.  We’re in what I consider a natural evolvement of proper use of technology.  This isn’t startling to me at all.  It’s just something we ought to be doing…There’s just too much good in this bill, and a lot of previous planning has gone into this.  It’s a natural evolvement of the more effective use of technology to the betterment of our students.”
- Representative Mack Shirley, Vice Chair of House Education Committee

“Because we didn’t step up and bite the bullet sooner, we’re biting the bullet now…Where do we start if we don’t start now?”
- Representative Pete Nielsen

“History shows that inefficiencies are pushed aside and replaced in every field of human endeavor.  We went from quill pens to typewriters to word processors… Now we see this pressure for change and for reduction of inefficiency has been brought to the fore by our lack of money to sustain the old model.  We simply don’t have the money to sustain it…Over the next 5-10 years we will have schools in the state that are better equipped to teach our young people to compete in the world that we know is not coming but is already here.”
- Representative Stephen Hartgen

“The investment in technology is less than 2% of the total budget that we’re spending, and the reason that you buy tools in a business is to reduce costs and increase productivity.”
- Representative Steven Thayn

~ Melissa M.

JFAC Sets Public Schools Budget

The Idaho Legislature’s budget-setting committee today approved a 1.3 percent reduction for K-12 public schools next fiscal year.

“No one is pleased with having to reduce funding for Idaho’s schools a third year in a row, but considering the much deeper cuts that were anticipated at the beginning of January, I must give credit to Idaho’s legislators and the Governor for working with me on this budget,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna said. “We have continued to put students first by working to preserve funding for Idaho schools in this tough economic time and to reform our public education system so we can educate more students at a higher level with limited resources.”

To do this, Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter and Superintendent Luna put forward the Students Come First plan, a comprehensive way for the state to spend the money it currently has differently. Two of the three bills in the Students Come First plan have been signed into law. Senate Bill 1184 has been approved by the Senate and is on its way to the House.

The FY2012 public schools budget approved in the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) today reflects the beginning of these education reforms in Idaho. Here are highlights of the budget:

• Salaries and benefits: The budget will decrease the money the state sends to districts and public charter schools for teacher, administrator and classified staff salaries by 1.67 percent. The budget does provide funding to increase the minimum teacher pay to $30,000 a year and to restore education credits and fund one year of experience on the salary grid for teachers, which has been frozen the past two years.
• Dual credit for high school students: The budget includes $850,000 for high school students to take dual credit courses if they have completed state graduation requirements.
• New high school graduation requirements: The budget includes $5.8 million to fund the new high school graduation requirements for the Class of 2013. Under these new requirements, students must take three years of math and three years of science as well as complete a college entrance exam, such as the ACT or SAT.  
• Classroom technology: The budget provides more than $13 million to give Idaho teachers the tools they need in the classroom. Of this funding, $10 million will go toward instructional technology in the classroom and $3 million for professional development.
• Idaho Math Initiative, Idaho Reading Initiative, and ISAT Remediation: The budget maintains level funding for these key initiatives at $9.4 million.

The fiscal year 2012 budget begins July 1, 2011. The appropriations bill approved in JFAC today now goes to the full House and Senate for approval.

~ Melissa M.

Idaho Senate Approves Final Bill in Students Come First Plan

The Idaho Senate approved the final bill in the Students Come First plan on a 20-15 vote.

“We are another step closer to reforming Idaho’s public education system,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna said. “I thank the senators for their passionate debate, hearing from the public, considering the facts, and voting accordingly.”

Senate Bill 1184 is the third bill in the Students Come First education reform package put forward by Superintendent Luna and Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter. The first two bills have already been signed into law. The third bill stabilizes the public schools budget next year and reforms the classroom to ensure every Idaho student is prepared for the 21st century.

The third bill now moves on to the House Education Committee for consideration.

~ Melissa M.

Third Bill in Students Come First Reform Package Moves to Full Senate

On a 6-3 vote, the Senate Education Committee approved the third bill in the Students Come First education reform package. The bill now heads to the full Senate for approval.

The bill approved today is a revised version of Senate Bill 1113. The new bill reforms the classroom and stabilizes the public schools budget next year. Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter has already signed into law the other two parts of the education reform package.

“I am pleased with the compromise senators reached on this bill,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna said. “It gives our local school districts the additional flexibility they requested while still reforming our classrooms to give teachers and students the tools they need to raise academic achievement.”

Here are the highlights of Senate Bill 1184, the third bill in Students Come First education reform package:

• Local control: The bill gives Idaho school districts the local control and flexibility they requested in setting budgets next year. It no longer increases the student-teacher ratio to find cost savings.
• Teacher pay: The bill increases the minimum teacher pay to $30,000 a year, restores education credits in the salary grid, and funds further movement on the grid for teachers. The salary grid for teachers has been frozen for the past two years.
• More parent involvement: The bill empowers parents by giving them access to local school district budgets and master agreements online as well as a fiscal report card for every school district in Idaho.
• One-to-one ratio: The bill implements a one-to-one ratio of students to mobile computing devices in every public high school within five years. Idaho’s high school teachers will receive these devices and professional development first in Fall 2012. Students will have access to these devices in the classroom beginning in Fall 2013.
• Advanced classroom technology: The state will give teachers the tools they need in the classroom by investing $10 million a year for instructional technology and $3 million for professional development.
• Online courses: The bill directs the State Board of Education to develop an online course requirement for the Class of 2016.
• Statewide task force: The bill creates a statewide task force to develop plans for implementing the one-to-one mobile computing devices, advanced classroom technology, and online course requirement. The task force will include superintendents, principals, classroom teachers, educational technology experts, representatives of the business community, leaders of educational stakeholder groups, and legislators.

~ Melissa M.

Third Bill in Students Come First Introduced Today

The Senate State Affairs Committee this morning approved the introduction of the third bill in the Students Come First plan. Senator John Goedde, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, introduced the new bill. It will likely be heard in his committee next week.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna is pleased with the compromise that has been put forth by senators. This bill will give school districts the additional flexibility they requested.  It will still stabilize the public schools budget and give our schools the technology and tools they need to educate more students at a higher level with limited resources.

Here are highlights of the new bill: 

• More flexibility in funding: The bill revises Senate Bill 1113 to give Idaho school districts more flexibility in dealing with less money next year. The new bill does not increase the student-teacher ratio. Rather, it leaves those decisions up to local school boards, which is what school districts requested throughout public testimony.
• Teacher pay: The bill increases the minimum teacher pay to $30,000 a year, restores the education credits in the salary grid that have been previously frozen, and funds further movement on the grid for teachers.
• One-to-one ratio: The new bill will still implement a one-to-one ratio of mobile computing devices in every public high school within five years, but now Idaho’s high school teachers will receive these devices first before they are distributed for students to use in the classroom. Teachers will receive the mobile devices in Fall 2012.
• Classroom technology: The state will give teachers the tools they need in the classroom by investing $10 million a year for instructional technology and $3 million for professional development.
• Online courses: The bill directs the State Board of Education to develop the online course requirement for the Class of 2016.
• Statewide task force: The bill defines the role and membership of a statewide task force to develop plans for the implementation of the online courses, one-to-one mobile computing devices, and advanced classroom technology. The task force will include superintendents, principals, classroom teachers, educational technology experts, representatives of the business community, leaders of educational stakeholder groups, and legislators.

A full comparison of the new bill and Senate Bill 1113 is available online.

~ Melissa M.

Governor Signs First Two Education Reform Bills into Law

Governor C. L. “Butch” Otter issued the following statement today after signing Senate Bills 1108 and 1110 into law, completing the first two-thirds of his effort with Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna to enact their Students Come First proposals for Idaho public schools.

“I had the privilege of signing into law today two bills that have been a long time coming, have been publicly vetted and debated to an unprecedented degree, and will improve the ability of our public schools to fulfill their mission of educating Idaho’s children. But our work is not done. We are committed to continuing our work with lawmakers and stakeholders on legislation to provide students and educators with the technology and flexibility they need to be successful in an increasingly competitive world.” 

Most Valuable Class in Apangea’s online math competition selected

Students in Mr. Trent Mercia’s class of Ellis Elementary in Pocatello have been honored as Most Valuable Class (MVC) for their outstanding efforts during the Apangea i2 Math Challenge competition. The competition pitted Indiana students against Idaho students to see which state could complete the most math problems using the Apangea’s differentiated online math program.  Students in the Most Valuable Class demonstrated a true commitment to academic excellence by logging onto computers well past school hours and on weekends.

Launched on Feb. 1, the month-long contest was the first state-versus-state math challenge. Indiana and Idaho students in grades 4-12 earned points for their state’s team for every problem solved.  While Idaho did not take home the i2 trophy, the state is thrilled to celebrate the top students in each region and the Most Valuable Class. 

"I am so proud of Idaho students. They never cease to amaze me," Idaho Superintendent Tom Luna said. "They worked hard and spent thousands of hours in the month of February solving math problems. Congratulations to the MVC and regional winners and all those who took part in this great competition."

Here are the Regional Student Awardees for the i2 contest:
Region 1: Sean Hirtle, Mullan Trail Elementary, Post Falls School District &
               Beau Garland, Twin Lakes Elementary, Lakeland School District
Region 2: Dustin Houston, Northwest Childrens Home Education Center, Lewiston School District
Region 3: Tanmay Shetye, White Pine Elementary, Boise School District &
               Garrisen Cizmich, Idaho Virtual Academy
Region 4: Josh Allen, Twin Falls High School, Twin Falls School District
Region 5: Emilee Johnston, Gate City Elementary, Pocatello School District
Region 6: Daylan Bird, Mountain View Middle, Blackfoot School District

The MVC will be awarded with a trophy, t-shirts, certificates, plus lunch served by Superintendent Luna and other special quests.  One of the regional winners will be selected to win a $600 grand-prize package. 

Students in both states spent more than 60,000 hours solving problems on Apangea Math, earning a combined total of more than 15 million points by logging on at school, home and even the library, as part of the Idaho’s Online@YourLibrary program.

Apangea Math is part of the Idaho Math Initiative, a statewide initiative to raise student achievement in mathematics across all grades. Through Apangea’s online supplemental math and tutoring programs, thousands of Idaho students have received extra assistance in school and at home in the evenings and on the weekends.

~ Melissa M.

House Approves Two Major Education Reforms for Idaho

Last week, the Idaho House approved Senate Bills 1108 and 1110. The legislation are two pieces of the Students Come First education reform package introduced by Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna and Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter.

Senate Bill 1108 will restore authority to locally elected school boards, and Senate Bill 1110 will implement pay-for-performance across the state of Idaho above the teacher’s base salary.

“This is a great step forward,” Superintendent Luna said. “Senate Bill will save more than $9 million for our public schools and also implement major education reforms that we have talked about for years. With Senate Bill 1110, Idaho now has the most comprehensive statewide pay-for-performance plan in the country. This legislation is all about recognizing and rewarding our great teachers for the outstanding work they do every day.”

Superintendent Luna added, “We can’t stop here. We must also reform our classrooms to ensure every student has access to a highly effective teacher every year and the best educational opportunities available.”

Three bills make up the Students Come First reform package. Senate Bills 1108 and 1110 are now headed to the Governor’s desk. Superintendent Luna is still working closely with the Senate and Governor Otter on changes to the third bill, which addresses classroom reforms by stabilizing the public schools budget, investing in teacher base salaries, and infusing more technology in the classroom.

Senate Bill 1108 returns authority and flexibility to the locally elected school boards by phasing out tenure, limiting collective bargaining agreements to one year, tying teacher and administrator evaluations to student achievement, and giving Idaho parents input on teacher performance evaluations.

Through Senate Bill 1110, teachers will have the opportunity to earn up to $8,000 a year in bonuses in addition to their base salary. The plan was crafted by Superintendent Luna and all educational stakeholders, including the Idaho Education Association, Idaho School Boards Association, Idaho Association of School Administrators, Idaho Superintendents’ Association, Idaho Business Coalition for Education Excellence, Idaho State Board of Education and the Governor’s Office.

The pay-for-performance plan awards teachers for working in hard-to-fill positions, taking on leadership duties, or working in a school that shows academic growth year over year. The local school district will determine the hard-to-fill positions, leadership positions, and local student achievement goals that are eligible for awards each year. The state will award additional bonuses for student achievement on a schoolwide basis so if a school meets academic targets for growth or overall achievement in a year, all certified staff in the building will receive a bonus.

The plan will go into effect in the 2012-2013 school year. Learn more about the details of the pay-for-performance plan and other parts of the Students Come First reform package.

~ Melissa M.

House Education Committee Approves Two Parts of Students Come First Reform

The House Education Committee today approved two of the three bills that make up the Students Come First education reform package, crafted by Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna and Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter. 

“This is another important step in the process to reform Idaho’s public education system,” Superintendent Luna said. “The current system makes it nearly impossible to reward excellent teachers and very difficult to address poor teaching. If we truly want to put students first, we must remove the barriers to both. That is what these two bills accomplish.”

Senate Bill 1108 returns authority and flexibility to the locally elected school boards by phasing out tenure, limiting master agreements to one year, tying teacher and administrator evaluations to student achievement, and giving Idaho parents input on teacher performance evaluations.  Senate Bill 1110 implements a pay-for-performance plan that will recognize and reward Idaho’s teachers for working in hard-to-fill positions, taking on leadership responsibilities, and working in a school that shows academic growth. 

These bills now will move to the full House for approval. The Idaho Senate approved these two bills last week.

The third bill in the Students Come First education reform package – Senate Bill 1113 – is in the Senate Education Committee where senators are working on further improvements to the legislation. After changes are made, a new bill will likely be introduced. This bill reforms the classroom and better prepare Idaho kids for the 21st century by stabilizing the state’s public schools budget, restoring teacher pay, infusing an unprecedented amount of technology in the classroom, and requiring students to take online courses before graduation. 

Learn more about the Students Come First reform plan. 

~ Melissa M.

Board Names Fernandez President of Lewis-Clark State College

The following is a news release from the Idaho State Board of Education:

Calling him a leader with impeccable credentials and of unquestioned character and integrity, Idaho State Board of Education President Richard Westerberg announced the hiring of Dr. J. Anthony “Tony” Fernandez as president of Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC).

“Tony has demonstrated a consistent professional approach in all he does,” said Westerberg. “We are thrilled to have him leading this great institution.”

Westerberg was joined on the podium for the announcement by Board secretary Don Soltman who chaired the LCSC presidential search committee. “We had exceptional candidates apply and interview for this position,” said Soltman. “Tony could have any job he wants and we are fortunate he wants to be here at LC.”

“There is no place Diane and I would rather be than right here,” said President Tony Fernandez. “This is our home and we are excited to now forward with everyone together in helping LCSC realize all its’ potential.”

Prior to the announcement, the Idaho State Board of Education held a special meeting which originated from the Lewiston campus. During the meeting, a motion to hire Fernandez at an annual salary of $162,654.00 was made by Don Soltman, Secretary of the Idaho State Board of Education. The motion passed unanimously. Fernandez’ contract runs through the end of fiscal year 2012 or June 30, 2012.

Fernandez served previously as Vice President/Provost at Lewis-Clark State College before he was named interim president in April 2010 after the departure of then president Dr. Dene K. Thomas. A biography of Dr. Fernandez is attached.

The Idaho State Board of Education will hold its’ next regular meeting, April 20-21, 2011 in Moscow on the campus of the University of Idaho. The Board will set fees/tuition for the 2011-2012 academic year during the meeting.

JFAC Reduces Operations Budget for State Department of Education, Funds Longitudinal Data

The Legislature’s budget committee today reduced the general fund operations budget for the State Department of Education by about 4 percent.

Since FY2009, the Department’s agency budget has been reduced by nearly 20 percent. The Department has absorbed these budget cuts and holdbacks through furlough days, reducing travel, utilizing virtual meetings, cutting back printing costs, and not filling vacant positions.

Next fiscal year, while the agency’s 133 employees will continue to deal with further reductions to the operations budget, the overall general fund budget for the State Department of Education will increase to fund the ongoing maintenance and operations of the statewide longitudinal data system.

This funding will be used for the statewide longitudinal data system, not for the operations of the State Department of Education agency.

This is the first year the statewide longitudinal data system has been implemented in the state of Idaho. Idaho is the last state in the nation to implement such a system.

This comprehensive data system streamlines data collection and reporting at the local school district and state levels into one state-of-the-art system. With the longitudinal data system, states can ensure that student records can be easily transferred; student privacy is protected; data definitions and requirements are clear; and data systems are organized in ways that facilitate public use, efficient information transfer and user-friendly reporting.

In 2008, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna rolled out a multi-year plan for developing and deploying a statewide longitudinal data system in Idaho. That plan included initial funding to develop the system and $1.8 million a year in ongoing costs after the system was up and running.

The Legislature had appropriated $2.5 million for the State Department of Education in FY2009 to begin the work on the statewide longitudinal data system. When the wheels fell off the economy, the State Department of Education secured a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to continue work on the development of the system.

Now, the system is developed and operational. This request fulfills the Legislature’s commitment to fund the ongoing maintenance and operations of $969,200 in the next fiscal year.

Without this request for the statewide longitudinal data system, the State Department of Education’s overall decrease would be more than 4 percent.

~ Melissa M.