Idaho Governor Brad Little has formed a 26-member K-12 education task force.
Chaired by State Board of Education President Debbie Critchfield and Boise business leader Bill Gilbert, the panel is comprised of prominent education advocates, educators, legislators from both sides of the aisle, business leaders, and parents. Dubbed “Our Kids, Idaho’s Future,” the task force is expected to convene for its first meeting June 3rd.
Little hopes the task force will deliver recommendations to him by November, which will allow his office to begin studying the budget implications and developing an implementation strategy ahead of the 2020 legislative session. The governor and his advisers said the task force’s purpose is to prioritize a set of goals and then direct policy and budgetary resources toward those areas.
In general, the new task force will follow a similar blueprint as former Governor Butch Otter’s Task Force for Improving Education, which delivered 20 recommendations in 2013 and helped drive the education agenda for the past five years.
During the 2019 legislative session, state lawmakers earmarked $100,000 in the State Board budget to fund the task force.
Members are serving as volunteers, and the appropriated funds will pay for travel and expenses. (IdahoEdNews.org)
