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Eye On Boise archive for Jan. 28, 2010

THURSDAY, JAN. 28, 2010

Land board members mull proposal...

Here's a link to my full story at spokesman.com on state schools Supt. Tom Luna's proposal for education funding unveiled to lawmakers today. Tapping into the state's public school endowment earnings reserve fund for more than $50 million, as Luna proposes, would require a vote…

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Another $3 mil in savings... kind of

The co-chairs of JFAC questioned state Schools Supt. Tom Luna today about the latest numbers on student enrollment, which affect state funding. Luna's finance expert, Tim Hill, told JFAC that the number of support units, which is roughly a classroom's worth of kids, was anticipated…

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Moscow senator goes after Panhandle Health

An Idaho lawmaker upset that regulators refuse to bend the rules for a Worley-area cabin owner with an inadequate septic system is proposing legislation that threatens to undermine the Panhandle Health District’s ability to keep sewage out of North Idaho lakes and streams. “I’m just…

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Measure would limit sessions to 90 days

Here's a news item from the AP: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho Legislature is considering limiting the length of sessions to just 90 calendar days to save money, conserve the time of government workers and encourage a more diverse legislature. The House State Affairs…

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Lawmakers excited about Luna plan

State lawmakers are excited about state schools Supt. Tom Luna's proposal to tap the state's school endowment earnings reserve fund for more than $50 million to help balance the school budget. "I give him credit for coming up with it," said Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert,…

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Senate Finance Chairman Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, questions state schools Supt. Tom Luna on Thursday during the school budget hearing. (Betsy Russell)

Luna says he'll ask Land Board in February

In response to a question from Sen. Steve Bair, R-Blackfoot, state schools Supt. Tom Luna said the public school earnings reserve fund he wants to tap to avoid deeper school budget cuts was set up specifically to ensure payments to schools. "Remember that 10 years…

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Jason Hancock, deputy chief of staff for state schools Supt. Tom Luna, explains why Luna didn't try to tap a $25 million  backup school construction fund as part of his budget proposal for schools next year. Plummer-Worley School District has applied for $11.3 million of the money. (Betsy Russell)

$25M fund not tapped in Luna plan

Idaho has had $25 million sitting in a fund since 2006 to help school districts that absolutely can't pass school construction bonds and have met a series of qualifications. Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, asked why that fund wasn't tapped to avoid further school cuts next…

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Lawmakers on the joint budget committee question state Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna on Thursday about his $135 million proposal for savings in the school budget next year, including draining some other funds and making a long list of targeted cuts. (Betsy Russell)

JFAC members question Luna about his plan

Lawmakers are now asking questions of state schools Supt. Tom Luna about his far-reaching proposal for budget savings of $135 million in the overall, all-funds public school budget next year, through a combination of new cuts and draining several other funds. Among the questions: If…

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Luna's plan for next year's school budget...

Here's Luna's proposal: Take $3.3 million from the state Department of Education's driver training account, $2.2 million from the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Account, and $52.8 million from the public school earnings reserve fund of the state endowment, for a total of $58.3 million in…

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Luna wants more endowment $$ for schools

State Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna wants to tap $52.8 million from the public schools earning reserve fund of the state endowment fund to avoid deeper budget cuts to schools. "Simply put this is a one-time drawdown of an excess reserve fund," he said, "...…

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Luna: 'We cannot hunker down and wait'

Idaho's reading initiative is another area of success, state Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna told lawmakers. The number of students reading at grade level by the end of 3rd grade has risen from 66 percent to 76 percent. "We are now seen as a national…

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State Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna tells the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Thursday that Idaho school students' performance has improved in the past 10 years, but choices lawmakers make now will determine if that progress continues. (Betsy Russell)

Luna: 'Fact is our students are doing better'

State Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna opened his budget pitch by telling lawmakers that 10 years ago, under Gov. Phil Batt, Idaho began an "educational journey" toward a new, standards-based system of education, rather than an inputs-based system. The idea, he said, was to determine…

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There's a full house for the public school budget hearing in the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Thursday morning. (Betsy Russell)

Full house for schools hearing

There's a full house for the public school budget hearing in JFAC this morning. The meeting also is being streamed live on the Internet and shown in a large auditorium in the Capitol's underground wing for public viewing.

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Legislative budget analyst Paul Headlee gives the opening briefing to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Tuesday morning as lawmakers hold hearings on the school budget. Gov. Butch Otter is proposing cuts. (Betsy Russell)

School budget hearings open

To start off the budget hearing this morning on Idaho's K-12 school budget, legislative budget analyst Paul Headlee is presenting information on how other states are coping with education funding. "Likely more than 70 percent of the states have taken some actions to reduce their…

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Eye On Boise

News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.