Idaho Proposing To Simplify Public School Rules A Series Of Hearings To Solicit Public Comments Will Start Wednesday In Boise

Many people talk about simplifying government, cutting out the gobbledegook and eliminating unnecessary regulations.

Now Idaho residents may be able to do something about it.

The state is about to make sweeping revisions of its public school rules. The goal is to cut about 1,500 regulations to less than 380 by wiping away unneeded policies, leaving more decisions to local school trustees and emphasizing teaching over technicalities.

Moreover, all the education experts and administrators involved want the public to help. They figure the more people and groups helping write the rules, the better they will be accepted.

Public comment on the proposed changes, developed over two years, will be taken during a statewide series of hearings starting Wednesday in Boise.

“We want to strongly encourage parents, patrons and educators to get involved in this process because the proposed rules will have a dramatic impact on our public education system,” state Schools Superintendent Anne Fox said.

After the hearings, probably in October, the state Board of Education will consider a final draft of the rule changes and likely schedule a vote in November.

The Legislature will get the changes in January. And the chairmen of the House and Senate education committees, Rep. Ron Black of Twin Falls and Sen. Gary Schroeder of Moscow, expect to spend many hours going through them.

“I’m sure we are going to have a lot of people who want to give us input,” Schroeder said. “We will take as long as it takes to do it.”

It could be a big job, but Schroeder hopes it will pay off with regulations that most people can agree with.

“There has been an effort to involve everyone in the process. I’m hopeful that because of that, all of the differences have been ironed out,” he said.

Black won’t get excited until he sees the final version. But he’s happy the latest list of changes has been streamlined from early versions.

The Legislature voted in 1994 to have all the state’s public school rules reassessed with an eye to getting rid of unnecessary restrictions. Lawmakers must approve the new rules by April, when all the old ones expire, or extend the deadline for another year.

Some of the proposed changes are procedural, such as giving local school boards more authority over what they offer. Others are substantial, such as dropping the high school requirements for two semesters of physical education, two semesters of health and four semesters of humanities.

Those changes are intended to give students more flexibility to pursue their own interests by choosing from a menu of courses in a variety of disciplines.

But proposals strengthen core requirements by adding two semesters of math or science and one semester of social studies, including geography.

Many see the most important change as one that would require students, parents and school counselors to prepare a “student education plan” by the eighth grade. Students will be asked to consider their plan in relation to career interests.

Other proposals face opposition.

One would allow “private sector experts” to teach in the schools without going through the teacher certification process. The idea is to allow business people, professionals, artists and others to share their knowledge with students. College and university-level faculty would also be allowed to teach in public schools. The Idaho Education Association will oppose that change.

Monica Beaudoin, IEA president and a veteran classroom teacher in Sandpoint, said private sector experts should at least be reviewed by the state Professional Standards Commission before being allowed to teach.