House Education Chairman Reed DeMordaunt, R-Eagle, told the K-12 Educational System Interim Committee, “As I think about this committee, I think of kind of three purposes. First is retrospective, the opportunity for us to look back at some of the things we have done, recently done, and make sure they are working the way they are intended. We know the old phrase, if you fail to learn, then you’re doomed to repeat, something along those lines. So it is important that we learn. Second I think for this committee is forward-looking. The opportunity for us to learn, to be educated on certain things, and potentially craft some legislation. Now I don’t see this committee crafting legislation, but I hope this is an opportunity for us to spawn some ideas that we potentially will see in legislation.”

He said, “The third reason for this committee and a charge that I would give every member of this committee, is the responsibility we will have now to take the information we are gleaning over these next several sessions and go back and share it with our respective House and Senate committees. … So those are the three purposes that I see for this committee, and I’m hoping we can move forward in that.”

After his opening remarks, Don Soltman, president of the State Board of Education, discussed Idaho’s goal of having 60 percent of citizens go on to some form of higher education after high school. Currently, he said, “Idaho’s rate is about 39 percent.”