Hello Friends,

It was great to see so many of you at the forum we had at Hawthorne Elementary School on February 3rd. It is always nice to receive feedback from constituents and to hear your concerns.

Please note that  Representative Ilana Rubel, Representative Phylis King, and I, will be hosting additional D18 Townhall meetings during the 2015 Legislative Session. It is always nice to receive feedback from constituents and to hear your concerns. Here are the details for our townhalls in February. Meetings start promptly at 7 PM.

February 12 at East Junior High
(5600 Warm Springs Ave, Boise)

February 24th at Maple Grove Elementary
(2800 S Maple Grove Rd, Boise)

March 3rd at Les Bois Junior High
(4150 E Grand Forest Dr, Boise)

March 12th at Timberline High
(701 E Boise Ave, Boise)

The legislature is in full swing and we continue to work long hours on rules and new bills. Executive Director of Education and Workforce Development for Gallup, Brandon Busteed, gave an inspiring presentation this week in our Education Committee. Brandon maintains we are looking at the wrong measures to determine our children’s future success. His research indicates that hope is a stronger predictor of college and workforce success than test scores. Children need the following things to ensure success:

• Time to do something they love and are good at every day
• At least one teacher or mentor who makes the student feel excited about his/her future
• Community service
• Work experience, or involvement in extra-curricular activities and organizations

Superintendent Ybarra also presented her vision and direction for the State Department of Education. Her mission statement is:

Supporting Schools and Students to Achieve

Her top priorities include recruitment and retention of highly skilled educators, restoring operational funds, reducing class size, common sense technology, and promoting local control. Superintendent Ybarra shared that recruiting and retaining highly skilled educators is not just about salaries but cultivating a climate of appreciation and respect.

Career ladder and tiered licensure is still in flux. The Governor’s Task Force outlined a proposal aimed at raising pay for teachers. The goal is to recruit and retain highly skilled teachers by enhancing their pay while ensuring our children receive a world-class education. We are currently working on legislation to advance this goal.

The Justice Reinvestment Initiative (SB1357) continues to move forward. This Wednesday, our Joint Finance & Appropriations Committee is due to receive a report on its progress so far. This is a particularly important issue. By encouraging investment in more community-based programs, we hope to save lives by reducing Idaho’s recidivism rate, and building fewer prison walls.

The troubled Idaho Education Network (IEN) also entered a new chapter this week with the announcement that the state would seek a new, short-term bridge contractor to operate high-speed internet in our public schools.This is particularly problematic since the new contract figures to be nearly identical to the one that invalidated by the court in 2014.

I encourage you to follow me on Twitter and “like” my page on Facebook for legislative updates and other up-to-the-minute happenings around the State Capitol.

As always, thank you for your amazing support. It is an honor and a privilege to represent you!

Warmest Regards,

Senator Janie Ward-Engelking
District 18