Election 2010

State Schools Super Tom Luna Files For Re-election

Idaho State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Republican Tom Luna, has filed the papers which formally declared he is a candidate for re-election. He is finishing his first term, and will face Democratic challenger Stan Olson, who is now the Boise Superintendent of Schools.

Superintendent Luna said, “We have made great progress thanks to talented teachers, dedicated parents and hard-working students. We are heading in the right direction, but clearly we can never be satisfied until all of Idaho’s students are performing well. We are on the right path, and we must continue this momentum.”

Luna graduated from Thomas Edison State College. Before becoming Idaho’s Superintendent of Public Instruction in January 2007, Luna was a businessman. He first got involved in the state’s education system by serving on the Nampa School Board for seven years, including three years as chairman.

Full disclosure: Stan Olson and his wife Connie are my next-door neighbors.

Election 2010

Boise Schools Superintendent Stan Olson: Candidate for State Schools Super

Boise’s Superintendent of Schools, Stan Olson, Ed.D. plans to announce Thursday that he’ll run for State Superintendent as a Democrat, challenging Republican incumbent Tom Luna.

“I have an almost 40-year track-record of partnership and accomplishment in education at every level,” said Olson. “Given the challenges Idaho’s students face today, we need a person who understands real education leadership now more than ever.”

Olson holds a BA in History from Central Michigan University, an MA in Community Education from Eastern Michigan University, an Ed.S. from the same, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University. In his 37 years in education, Olson has been a classroom teacher, adjunct professor, school consultant and facilitator in the fields of educational leadership and school community relations, as well as a superintendent.

At his announcement, Olson will be joined by Boise School Board President AJ Balukoff, Mayor Dave Bieter and former Governor Cecil Andrus. The event will be held at Grace Jordan Elementary School, 6411 West Fairfield Ave. in Boise.

NO TIME FOR MORE ECONOMIC STRESS

Idaho Delegation Fights Forest Service for Seniors, Disabled

UPDATED,, March 17:

As reported here on NewWest.Net on January 28, the Forest Service (FS) has decided to take back discounts promised to elderly and disabled public land users.

To that, all four members of the Idaho Congressional delegation say, whoa, partner, not so fast on that one.

Column: Infrastructure

Idaho ISPs: Legislature’s Plan Could Quintuple Costs to Schools. Will Qwest Benefit?

Idaho Internet service providers (ISPs) say that the way that the Idaho Education Network (IEN) is being set up could end up costing schools up to five times what they currently pay to connect to the Internet—ongoing annual costs that would have to be borne by the general fund after a $3 million two-year grant runs out.

The ISPs also deny Department of Administration charges that they are coming in after the fact and trying to change the process, saying it was always intended for them to provide the “last mile” between a Qwest-built backbone and schools, and that it is Qwest that is changing the process by building expensive new connections when adequate connections already exist—and risking putting local companies out of business in the process.

A CHANGE THAT'S LONG OVERDUE

Harry Reid, the New Public Lands Enemy No. 1

UPDATED Friday, March 12, 1 pm:
I used this headline once before when writing about Mark Rey, former Bush Administration Undersecretary of Agriculture and boss of the Forest Service. Prior to Rey’s Reign of Terror, California Republican Congressmen Richard Pombo held the honor of being the biggest enemy of public lands. Voters booted him in 2006, but he’s back, running for Congress again this year.

Now, we have a new Public Lands Enemy No. 1, none other than current Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).

Column: idaho legislature

Tempers Grow Short in Idaho Legislature

Just days after a spat in which the Idaho Senate refused to hear a bill to eliminate a House proposal for a 1 percent cost of living adjustment to state retirees, which Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter also weighed in on, another potential turf battle looms—one that could doom the carefully crafted education budget, scheduled to be voted on Wednesday morning by the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC).

In Tuesday’s meeting of the House Education committee, Chair Representative Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, strongly criticized the process by which JFAC Chair Senator Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, had set up meetings with education stakeholders in order to determine the best way to make cuts to the education budget that would cause the least damage to schools and students. The meetings resulted in a proposed budget bill and an unprecedented dozen pages of intent language explaining it last week, which was supposed to culminate in a vote on Monday but which was postponed until Wednesday. Nonini issued a number of strong statements indicating that he believed JFAC was not paying enough attention to the education committee, which is supposed to be making policy decisions.

“I don’t know how he can criticize,” said Cameron, when informed of Nonini’s remarks. “He was part of the process.”

Opinion

Idaho House Passes Revamped Voter ID Bill

A revamped bill requiring people to show a photo ID before voting—but which allows people without such IDs to vote by signing an affidavit—passed the Idaho House yesterday, 64-6. A similar bill last year was withdrawn at the request of the Secretary of State, and worked on over the summer.

In addition to the affidavit provision, the revamped bill now also doesn’t include vote-by-mail or absentee voting, which sponsor House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, said he planned to address in a separate bill, as well as another bill requiring photo ID to register to vote."It doesn’t go as far I’d like it to go,” he said. He didn’t say whether he planned to do either of those additional bills this session.

A number of other states have implemented or are working on implementing similar provisions, which are said to be intended to combat voter fraud but which some feel are intended to discourage people from voting who are seen as more likely to vote Democratic: the young, the old, the disabled, and minorities.

Column

In Idaho, a Controversial Health Care Bill Passes Senate

Despite bipartisan opposition primarily focusing on end-of-life services, the health care workers “conscience bill,” which purportedly lets professionals deny making certain medications and services available based on their personal moral beliefs—but which critics say is an attack against birth control for women—passed the Senate on a 21-13 vote.

“The intent of this legislation is not to restrict or limit in any way health care services to women or men in Idaho,” said sponsor Senator Chuck Winder, R-Eagle.

When opponents brought up the fact that rural areas might already have a limited number of health care professionals to choose from, Winder responded that a survey supporters had performed of rural health care providers found that some of them didn’t provide those medications and services anyway.

idaho legislature

A Kinder, Gentler Idaho Governor?

Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter feels misunderstood, wishes people would have more compassion for him, and if the economy would let him, he would like to make people happy.

That’s the impression he wanted to leave with the Idaho Press Club during its annual breakfast with the governor this morning.

When newspapers describe budget cuts he’s making, which he said are required to maintain a balanced budget, “there’s always an assignment of some personal philosophy,” Otter said, who added that he “bristles” when an article assigns motivation to him without asking him why. “And then when I explain them I’m ‘covering up,’” he said.

This year, with the repeated holdbacks, has been particularly tough, Otter said. “Holdbacks are never fun.” Being able to give money to a program, or to tell an agency to go ahead and spend the money and it would be paid for out of a supplemental is a lot easier to deal with, he said. “I used to think it was the other way around, but I don’t any more,” he said, saying later, “I would like to see some compassion that this is a tough, tough position to be in, and it’s not fun.”

“Just once, I’d like to see a headline that says, instead of ‘Otter Cuts Grade School,’ ‘Otter Obeys the Constitution,’” he said.

(There you go, Governor.)