November 3, 2011 in Idaho

Idaho to mandate online classes

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Betsy Russell photo

Idaho State Board of Education meets in Boise Thursday; North Idaho members participated by conference call
(Full-size photo)

BOISE - Despite overwhelmingly negative public comment, Idaho’s State Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to give final approval to a new rule requiring every Idaho student to take two online classes to graduate from high school.

The rule, a centerpiece of state schools Superintendent Tom Luna’s “Students Come First” school reform plan, takes effect with this year’s 8th graders, the high school class of 2016.

Parents, teachers and others opposed to the reform plan, which also includes removing most collective bargaining rights from teachers, phasing in a laptop computer for every high school student and teacher, and shifting money from teacher pay to technology purchases and merit-pay bonuses, have qualified a referendum for the November 2012 ballot that could overturn it in its entirety.

In the meantime, the state is proceeding with the reform plans. “The board is firmly behind online learning,” said Richard Westerberg, state board president. “We believe it’s imperative moving forward that our students be able to have skills in that area.”

Idaho will become the first state to require two online classes to graduate from high school. Just three states, Alabama, Florida and Michigan, now require online learning at all.

The state board held seven public hearings across the state last summer on the proposed rule; 46 people testified, with all but eight opposing the new requirement, and 30 submitted written comments, all opposed. In the final public comment period that ran for three weeks before Thursday’s vote, 10 more written comments were received, all negative.

Board member Don Soltman of Kootenai County said the commenters generally “felt there should not be an online learning requirement,” and also expressed concerns about impacts on school district finances and the on the Idaho Digital Learning Academy, an existing state-funded operation that offers voluntary online classes to high school students statewide.

Westerberg said, “We certainly received some input.” He said the public comments “actually informed what the rule might be,” noting, “Two credits is actually a fairly modest requirement.” Luna’s original proposal was to require eight online classes for graduation.

The Idaho Education Association, Idaho’s teachers union, blasted the state board’s vote Thursday. “Idahoans will have the last word on this mandate at the ballot box in November 2012 by overturning the law requiring online credits and one-size-fits-all mobile computing devices,” the IEA said in a statement. “Local districts ought to have the right to decide what’s best for their students without mandates imposed by bureaucrats in Boise.”

The Idaho Legislature will review the rule during its session that starts in January, but it already passed the school-reform legislation that called for the new online-class requirement.

Westerberg said, “There is no equivocation among the board members - that’s an area that we need to get good at, our students need to get good at.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Eight comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  mejdae on November 03 at 4:59 p.m.

  I hope schools push students to expand their boundaries with this requirement. Think of the things students can take: anthropology, chinese, a history of warfare, video game development … If done correctly I can see this being beneficial. What it shouldn’t do is replace the core courses already offered by schools. That would be a stupid use of the technology.

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  another_perspective on November 03 at 5:07 p.m.

  Shouldn’t they mandate the wearing of shoes first and no cousins breeding? Cue the music from Deliverance.

• 

  HelenNewton on November 03 at 5:21 p.m.

  As often happens, appointed bureaucrats over whom the electorate has no authority, don’t listen. They didn’t care that the overwhelming majority of those who testified opposed it. It’s amazing!

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  oneanddone on November 03 at 5:42 p.m.

  All you really need to know about Idaho’s educational leadership is that the state Superintendent of Public Education bought his bachelor’s degree in general studies from an online diploma mill. For the uninformed, that’s akin to finding one in a Wheaties box. I have to believe Idaho is the only state in the union whose top “educator” has no experience and/or degree in education. Luna is really just a stalking horse for the far right legislature and equally whacked out Otter. The level of give-a-sh*t by state legislators for the needs and wants of the Idaho electorate is astounding.

• 

  slamdunk on November 03 at 6:53 p.m.

  No surprise here. Wonder what kickbacks the board gets? These are all tea baggers who have but one agenda……money, money money. These people ought to be ashamed but, once again, the tea bag culture has proven that they have no shame. Shame on you LUNA, OTTER, (dealin, dealin, dealin,) Nonini, and the rest of you ilk. You people will stoop to any level for a buck. Hey LUNA, why don’t you spend some of that taxpayer dough and go get an education? You lawfakers in Idahoo are beyond amazement. You are beyond anything this country has ever seen. Boy I’m glad I don’t hail from that backwater.

• 

  Pat O'Leary on November 03 at 7:52 p.m.

  On a related subject….. if a man and woman from Idaho get divorced are they still brother and sister? Drum roll …cymbal crash!

• 

  lovetohateme on November 03 at 9:04 p.m.

  I’m glad Idaho is ahead of the curve here. This is one of the greatest steps forward for education this state can take! I just don’t understand why teachers unions are against providing kids and teachers with computers. I, for one, think it’s a magnificent idea to interweave traditional education with the technological tools kids need to use in order to best-succeed in our modern world.

  Actually, this plan is excellent, because not only does it provide the technology, but it works it into the curriculum in a meaningful fashion. Other areas of the country that gave students computers had difficulty with that aspect. The kids had computers, but they weren’t worked into the curriculum. Under Idaho’s plan kids will have good reasons to make use of the computers.

  All-in-all: great job in implementing this. My thanks go out to the Idaho Board of Education for following through and putting the kids first! Idahoans everywhere support hard-working, caring and incentivized teachers as well as enhancing kids’ education by interweaving classroom time with time spent utilizing modern technology. Great job!

• 

  misjustice on November 03 at 11:47 p.m.

  Well, Jeb Bush didn’t travel all the way to Ideeho for nothin’…Lots of $$$$$ to be made. Right Jeb?