IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Chairman of Senate Education, Dave Lent, held a meeting to discuss the future of education in Idaho. Local scholarship leaders and six Idaho State Legislators met this afternoon to re-imagine a system- a system they say currently does not meet the needs of students.
The event was hosted at the College of Eastern Idaho, and was organized by Dave Lent and Idaho State Representative Britt Raybould.
The meeting was geared toward brainstorming ideas for the future, with questions about not just how to meet current metrics, but if the current standards we use to judge our current school system are ideal.
Senator Lent lightly touched on the current state of education policy to open the meeting. He spoke on how recent legislative changes have caused a lack of oversight concerning tax dollars going toward “private and religious schools”, and on how our current education system follows the Carnegie model.
“If you were to imagine what a system in our state could be and how it would best serve our students and our public, what would that look like?” says Senator Lent.
There were school board members and other local education leaders who were in attendance. One shared a quote from a local mother who is concerned about her child:
“So one Idaho mom recently, told me- she said ‘grades are only important because they’re the vehicle to opportunity. But if my son isn’t stimulated, if he’s not seen, challenged, or inspired, he shuts down. He might be brilliant, but without the right system, he’s at a risk of becoming a shell of an unfullfilled potential.'” – Jamie Braithwaite
The first meeting of the “Idaho Public Education Coalition” was on April 2nd in Boise. There will be more meetings in the coming months. Towards the end of July, leaders will gather in northern Idaho. In September, the coalition will revisit Boise. Finally in October, they will go through the suggestions and data collected to better determine what legislative policy will best serve the community.
More information about the “Imagine Excellence” initiative can be found here.
To participate in a survey to help the initiative, follow this link.
