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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Albertson Foundation threatens to withhold $4.5M in program funding

Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation is threatening to withhold $4.5 million it's promised to Idaho next year for a computer program to track student progress. The foundation in Boise says the money now won't be paid unless Idaho restores taxpayer funding for teacher professional development — money put in jeopardy when voters rejected public schools chief Tom Luna's Students Come First overhaul Nov. 6. The Albertson Foundation promised $21 million in 2011 for student-performance-monitoring software from SchoolNet Inc., a New York company. According to a letter from the foundation to Idaho budget writers, however, the final $4.5 million won't be paid "unless the professional development funds are secured." Melissa McGrath, Luna's spokeswoman, said Friday he'll announce a remedy for the potential loss of funding next week.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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