Members of the Idaho House have chosen not to cast an override vote of Gov. Butch Otter’s first veto of the 2018 legislative session.
Otter blocked legislation that would have removed the state’s long-standing reading test for young students from being tied to teachers’ pay raises. The governor said the so-called Idaho Reading Indicator is still a valid measure of student growth even though lawmakers chose this year to replace the test with a more comprehensive assessment.
The early reading test is targeted toward kindergarten through third-graders students with the intent of identifying students falling behind.
Legislators had the option of overruling the governor’s veto, but that effort failed after the House voted 34-29 to ensure the veto stayed in place. The Idaho Constitution mandates that lawmakers need a two-thirds majority to reverse a governor’s veto.
Otter has until Wednesday to sign or veto the remaining bills lawmakers passed during this year’s session. (AP)
