In response to questions from lawmakers, state schools Supt. Tom Luna said his reform plan would not only reduce the number of teachers, but also administrators and classified staff. "For every teacher we fund, we fund one-tenth of an administrator (actually 0.075), and 0.375 of…
Senate Education Chairman John Goedde, R-Coeur d'Alene, asked Luna how his proposal for "fractional ADA" would work. ADA is average daily attendance, and is a major piece in how the state parcels out funding to school districts. Luna said, "We're paying to educate the same…
Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, asked Luna, "If this body were only able to appropriate 95 percent of the governor's recommendation, ... what would you have to trim off?" Luna responded, "I did not come prepared with those kinds of numbers. ... I would have to…
Lawmakers on the budget and education committees are now questioning state schools Supt. Tom Luna on his proposals. The first few questions have focused on his proposals for larger class sizes, and on paying for high school students to take college-entrance exams and dual-credit college…
JFAC Co-Chair Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, noted that the proposed budget that state Supt. of Schools Tom Luna submitted to lawmakers earlier essentially is now "obsolete," and has been replaced by his reform plan. Luna said that's correct. He distributed a new summary of the distribution…
After passing out a summary of his budget proposals over the next six years, Luna said, "Basically what this chart shows you is that we can have an education system that educates more students at a higher level with limited resources." He noted that some…
State Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna has built into his proposed budget consolidating school districts in the "seven least efficient counties," or at least funding those districts as if they were consolidated. He said those are the seven counties with the most school districts, and…
State schools Supt. Tom Luna is now outlining his plan to increase class sizes in grades 4-12 to save $100.7 million a year, which he'd use to fund his other reforms, including technology and pay-for-performance. "Great teachers know how to handle one or two more…
"Right now, the current system limits our ability to reward our great teachers and remove poor teachers," state schools Supt. Tom Luna declared. "It’s in our children’s best interest to remove the barriers to both. Why? Because, again, we know that the most important factor…
Brian Darcy, administrator of Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and Blind - formerly the Idaho School for the Deaf & Blind - is up next. He said the entity, created a year and a half ago, operates statewide, including within the state's school districts.…
State Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna, in his first presentation - the budget for the State Department of Education - said his department has been finding savings. "In the last three budgets, the State Department of Education has given up more than 20 percent of…
As JFAC takes up the biggest single slice of the state budget today - public schools - it's convened jointly with the House and Senate education committees in the Capitol Auditorium. "There's 47 of us - we almost have half the Legislature here," commented JFAC…
Gov. Butch Otter will hold a press conference tomorrow at 2 p.m. to announce his choice for a new chairman of the Idaho State Tax Commission. The press conference, in the governor's ceremonial office, will be streamed live here. Meanwhile, former longtime state tax auditor…
The Cigar Association of America wants Idaho to outlaw "blunt wraps," a type of roll-your-own cigar wrapper, as drug paraphernalia. Russ Westerberg, lobbyist for the group, told the Idaho Senate Judiciary Committee today that "blunts" traditionally were cigars rolled in a single, continuous tobacco leaf,…
Idaho would amend its rape statute to address a recent Ada County case that was dismissed because a judge said it fell into a legal loophole, under legislation introduced unanimously today in the Senate Judiciary Committee. "As soon as I read about this in the…
Hundreds of people filled the Capitol rotunda today for Idaho's official observation of Martin Luther King Jr./Idaho Human Rights Day, including lots of children. Estella Zamora, president of the Idaho Human Rights Commission, quoted Martin Luther King: "Now is the time to make justice a…
More than 200 people gathered on the steps of the state Capitol for a tea party rally on this Martin Luther King/Idaho Human Rights Day holiday today, while a knot of protesters waving a drawing of Martin Luther King Jr. and signs saying "No Tea…
State Medicaid administrator Leslie Clement is laying out a couple of possible scenarios for cutting $25 million from Idaho's Medicaid benefits. The first scenario: Eliminate all Developmental Disability Center services for adults, to save $8.4 million in state funds; and eliminate psycho-social rehabilitative services, to…
At the height of the increased matching rate that the federal government offered states for Medicaid, Idaho was getting a 79.18 percent federal matching rate for the program, meaning the state only had to fund 20.82 percent of the program's costs. Now, the federal match…
Medicaid, the state-federal program that provides health coverage for the poor and disabled, makes up 80.5 percent of the total Department of Health & Welfare budget, Medicaid administrator Leslie Clement told a joint meeting of JFAC and the House and Senate health and welfare committees…
Rep. Steven Thayn said Rhode Island was able to save a big chunk on its Medicaid program without dropping eligibility, and asked if Idaho could follow suit. Health & Welfare Director Dick Armstrong responded, "One thing I've learned is if you look at a state,…
Lawmakers are now questioning Health & Welfare Director Dick Armstrong. Sen. Bert Brackett asked about results of a resolution lawmakers passed last year asking the department to explore drug-testing of people who receive benefits. Armstrong said the report will be published soon, and it found…
How to save money in Idaho's ballooning Medicaid program? State Health & Welfare Director Dick Armstrong said, "We already have one of the most restrictive Medicaid programs in the nation as far as eligibility. Further tightening would not help us much, even if we could."…
It looks like a really, really big committee that's holding a joint hearing today on Health & Welfare and Medicaid budgets. That's because the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee - which itself has 20 members - is sitting jointly with the House and Senate health and welfare…
Today is Martin Luther King Jr./Idaho Human Rights Day, an official state holiday, though the Legislature - which doesn't take holidays - is in session. Legislative doings today include a joint hearing between JFAC and the House and Senate health and welfare committees in the…
