Senate considering changes in ed bills, including questions over class sizes

Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, who along with House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, is addressing the Idaho Press Club, said there’s been no decision yet on the fate of the school reform bills after today’s majority caucus in the Senate, but there could be more of a sense by the end of the day. “We could pick those up in the next few days, if that’s what the desire is of the Senate,” Davis said. For now, he said, the caucus has asked its members to weigh in on “what is, in fact problematic” in the bills. “I don’t know the answer as we speak,” he said. Options include pulling one or more of the bills back to the Senate Education Committee; printing new bills; and sending one or more of the bills to the Senate’s amending order, where any senator may offer amendments. “Very candidly, I don’t think that’s the kind of legislation that I’m ultimately inclined to take to the amending order,” Davis said, unless there’s “consensus” in the Senate on specific changes that should be made.

“There are active, ongoing conversations with both the governor, the superintendent and the stakeholders,” Davis said. “We are trying to find the changes that we believe are necessary in order to secure passage of the legislation. We believe that what the Senate is trying to do is put together an education bill that the Senate has confidence in, and that’s what we will do over the next several days.”

He said, “There are still some genuine concerns that I believe make ultimate passage of the complete package more difficult. … We are working on it.” Among those: Class size.