Boise, Idaho / November 17-19, 2021
During the Business Session, school board members debate and vote on the resolutions that have been submitted by school districts/charter schools, regions, or the ISBA Executive Board. Every resolution that is passed by the membership at the Business Session establishes ISBA’s Legislative Platform. ISBA then pursues, through the legislature, all the initiatives outlined in the platform. As a school board member, this is your opportunity to have your voice heard concerning the proposals that have been submitted.
Part1: How Does ISBA Establish the Legislative Platform?
Part 2: Voting on Resolutions
Part 3: How Resolutions Become Legislation
Part 4: What happens when we are successful and a resolution becomes law?
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
that the Idaho School Boards Association work with the Idaho Legislature to amend Idaho Code to create a mechanism to attract administrators and out-of-state teachers to teach in Idaho public schools. This could include and is not limited to utilizing the method used for CTE teachers and/or allowing a “grace period” for such applicants to meet the performance criteria and be placed accordingly on the career ladder.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
This change in Idaho Code and/or administrative rule would allow Idaho school districts and charter schools to attract experienced out of state teachers and current Idaho administrators without having to absorb the additional cost and free up monies at the district/charter level.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE ISBA EXECUTIVE BOARD: DO PASS
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
that the Idaho School Boards Association work with the Idaho legislature to amend Idaho Code §33-1212 to also allow licensed professional counselors or licensed clinical professional counselors as provided by chapter 32, title 54, Idaho Code, to be included within the scope of the legal definition of school counselors, provided they meet the requirements of the State Board of Education.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
This resolution directs the Idaho School Boards Association (ISBA) to work with the legislature to amend existing statute to allow school districts more flexibility in addressing the mental, social, and emotional needs of students by allowing districts to hire LPCs (Licensed Professional Counselors) and LCPCs (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors) as school counselors. This amendment will align the requirements for these professionals more closely with the requirements for licensed social workers, whom school districts are currently permitted to hire as school counselors.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE ISBA EXECUTIVE BOARD: DO PASS
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
that the Idaho School Boards Association shall draft legislation to align Idaho Code Section 33-202, Idaho Code, with the state’s accountability requirements for public schools by changing the required school age from 16 to 18, unless the pupil has graduated early or has received their GED.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Idaho’s accountability measures for high schools rely upon students completing academic requirements, participating in college level work, and mastering industry level skills during a four-year window. Two of those four years occur in the final two years of high school, when most students are older than 16. Section 33-202, Idaho Code, should be amended to support state accountability expectations for schools by changing the required school age from 16 to 18, unless the pupil has graduated early or has received their GED.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE ISBA EXECUTIVE BOARD: DO PASS
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
that the Idaho School Boards Association work to ensure that the integrity of the Idaho Content Standards and their Supporting Content sections, which are incorporated by reference into IDAPA 08.02.03.004.01 and approved by the Legislature, are maintained and reauthorized by the Idaho Legislature.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Idaho’s current content standards represent the work of a broad group of stakeholders and have garnered widespread support from citizens across Idaho. Districts and schools have invested significant resources of time and money into the professional development and curricular materials aligned to these standards. In recent years, Idaho’s content standards have come under scrutiny based on unfounded accusations that have not been tied to specific standards. These accusations have led the Idaho Legislature to attempt to revise content standards without the input of educational stakeholders. Attempts to revise content standards without stakeholder involvement represent a significant step backward in our efforts to prepare students with the 21stcentury learning skills that will be necessary to fulfill the labor needs of our state’s evergrowing job market. Repeal and/or delay in the adoption of Idaho’s content standards would result in a significant financial impact on Districts and Charter Schools as they have to adopt a new curriculum and retrain teachers on the standards and curriculum tied to those standards.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE ISBA EXECUTIVE BOARD: DO PASS
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
that the Idaho School Boards Association shall work with the Idaho Legislature to adopt a funding formula that is based upon the following principles:
● Predictability: It should have the ability to accurately predict budgets in coming years;
● Adequacy: It should provide sufficient funding for districts and charter schools to provide essentials to students;
● Transparency: The process should be clear,
● Stability: There should be no sharp drops in funding from year to year,
● Equitability: It should differentiate between LEAs in a way that recognizes their unique needs,
● Honors the experience of staff,
● Honors the education of staff,
● Holds harmless: No LEA should lose funding, i.e., the cost per pupil is not lower than the current funding model; and the new model should take into account growing enrollment.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
For three years, a K-12 public school funding formula legislative interim committee worked to develop a proposal for a new K-12 funding formula. While the proposed model was not approved, the 2019 Legislature did approve HB 293, which established definitions to be used in a Student-Based Funding Formula (SBFF) model that was to be considered by the 2020 Legislature. During the 2021 Legislative Session, the SBFF model was not addressed, leaving the issue unresolved for Idaho’s students, educators, and taxpayers. We believe that having a standard of fundamental guiding principles provides a measure against which ideas can be weighed and evaluated. These guiding principles represent a philosophical direction for funding public schools and reflect some of the concerns identified with the proposed model that was released in 2019.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE ISBA EXECUTIVE BOARD: DO PASS
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
that the Idaho School Boards Association shall work with the Idaho Legislature to amend Idaho Code §§ 33-1004B(8) and 33-1004A(3) allowing the transcripts needed to verify Career Ladder Education Allocation and Administrative Education Factor to be kept on file with local school districts or charter schools, the data necessary to verify degrees and credits will be submitted through ISEE and verified through the annual financial audits, rather than being kept on file with the teacher certification department of the Idaho State Department of Education.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The requirement that transcripts be on file in the teacher certification department of the Idaho State Department of Education has been a requirement for many years and was incorporated into the Career ladder legislation as a way to confirm the Career Ladder Education Allocation. Since the adoption of Idaho’s ISEE data collection system, this information has been uploaded to the State Department of Education or State Board of Education by Districts for funding purposes before the Career Ladder and since the Career Ladder was adopted. Annual financial audits include a process to verify credits and degrees for the education allocation, ensuring that the credits we have reported to the State Department of Education are true and accurate. The request by the Idaho State Department of Education for all school districts and charter schools to submit the transcripts of certified employees, and highlighting applicable courses, credits, and degrees earned, to validate and confirm their educational credits and degrees for Career Ladder
Education Allocation and Administrative Education Factor would present a significant burden on school districts and charter schools in both staff time and financial resources. By amending §§ 33-1004B(8) and 33-1004A(3) to allow the transcripts needed to verify Career Ladder Education Allocation and Administrative Education Factor to be kept on file with local school districts, submitted through ISEE, and verified through the annual financial audits, we will continue a
practice that has been working for several years, ensure the accuracy of the data, and avoid unnecessary reporting burdens for districts and charter schools
RECOMMENDATION OF THE ISBA EXECUTIVE BOARD: DO PASS
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
that the Idaho School Boards Association work with the Idaho Legislature to amend Idaho Code to include language to allow deliberations within executive session on the sale of real property which is owned by a public agency for the sole purpose of discussing possible minimal acceptable bid amounts for the sale of real property.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
A school district or charter school must be able to discuss within executive session, prior to receiving bid offers, the possible amount acceptable as a reasonable offer. If an interested party makes an offer on real property, a public agency needs to have had the opportunity to privately discuss what a reasonable offer would be without public
knowledge of their final acceptable price. If these deliberations take place in open meetings, the interested party will have a large advantage over the school district or charter school by knowing what the minimal acceptable price is and make the an offer matching that amount. This is detrimental to the interest of the school district patrons if they do not receive the most competitive bid possible. This also is a major impact on rural school systems where there is typically only one interested buyer.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE ISBA EXECUTIVE BOARD: DO PASS
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
that the Idaho School Boards Association continues these legislative priorities if they may again be legislatively reviewed in advance of the 2023 Legislative session.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
ISBA members have consistently brought ISBA Resolutions on these matters. Some of these priorities may never be fully accomplished (such as, opposing school vouchers), and others may take more time to accomplish. Instead of asking each resolution to be renewed, this streamlines the process and provides an avenue for other consistent priorities to be included in one Resolution.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE ISBA EXECUTIVE BOARD: DO PASS
To help you better understand the importance and impact of the Business Session, please read the questions and answers below.
