Idaho’s new teacher evaluation system is in the midst of being implemented, state school Superintendent Sherri Ybarra told legislative budget writers this morning. “Deciding on and designing a model is the critical first phase, but implementation is hard and requires dedicated resources over time, any part of this categorical system that is ignored, is sure to fail,” Ybarra said. “And any time you change expectations, you are back at phase one of implementation. With this being said, I want you to think about in which phase Idaho lands.”

She said, “Ongoing funding is necessary to support implementation costs, and we must continue to invest to make sure that we do not miss any phase of the categorical system. … A good system will allow teachers to get the feedback they deserve, and leaders get the information they need to attract and retain educators, but most importantly, this investment ensures that our students are learning.”

She’s requesting continued funding of $300,000 for evaluation training and development for administrators; Gov. Butch Otter didn’t recommend funding the item in Ybarra’s department, and is instead proposing handing over that task to the state Board of Education.

The evaluation piece is key to the new teacher career ladder plan, as teachers would move up in the ladder based on their evaluations.