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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

House backs rejection of science standards, amid confusion over Common Core

The House has voted 59-5 in favor of SCR 140, the resolution to reject proposed new administrative rules on science standards for Idaho schoolkids. Rep. Julie VanOrden, R-Pingree, said the standards weren’t bad, but lawmakers felt they should take more citizen input before approving them. Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, spoke out in support of the resolution. “I think this is amazing that we can pass something like this – I think this is great,” she said. “I think this is doing a big service to the citizens by letting them have some input on Common Core science.”

The standards actually are not related to Common Core; they were developed by a team of Idaho teachers. Idaho's version of Common Core standards covers only English language arts and math. The five "no" votes all came from House Democrats.



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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