Wednesday, December 07, 2011
From the Coeur d’Alene Press
No education stories posted online today.
From the Idaho Spokesman Review
State hopes young-voter turnout keeps rising
From the Moscow Daily News (password required)
WSU wants to host presidential debate
From the Lewiston Tribune (password required)
Union dislikes teacher pay idea
From the Idaho Press-Tribune, Nampa
ISAT changes don‟t worry school officials
Board shouldn‟t deny kids chance to attend college (Editorial)
NCLB defeats its goal in regard to Eclipse program (Editorial)
From the Idaho Statesman, Boise
Borah places economics teacher on paid leave
From the Twin Falls Times-News
First day of school starts at Xavier, minu s building
Bookworm hero
From the Idaho State Journal
ISU president sets stage for state medical school
Tribal school returns to traditional teaching methods
From the Idaho Falls Post-Register (password required)
No education stories posted online today.
FROM COEUR D‟ALENE PRESS
No education stories posted online today.
FROM IDAHO SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
State hopes young-voter turnout keeps rising
Ysrusa, Luna emphasize new Web site, poll jobs
Betsy Z. Russell
Staff writer
September 18, 2007
BOISE - Turnout among Idaho's youngest voters is on the rise, and Secretary of State
Ben Ysursa wants that to continue.
"The idea is to get young adults interested and start a pattern," Ysursa said - one he hopes
will increase the state's voter turnout overall.
"Idaho used to be in the top two or three in the country - we haven't been there for a
while," he said. "We'd like to get back."
Ysursa was joined by state Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna on Monday to unveil a
new Web site aimed at educating and encouraging young voters. At the same time, the
officials are promoting an Idaho law, enacted in 2004, that lets people as young as 17
serve as poll workers.
That would accomplish two goals, Ysursa said, it would get young people involved in
elections and increase their likelihood of voting once they turn 18, plus it would help out
counties that have seen a shortage of poll workers.
"Our poll workers' average age, let's say it's up there," he said. "We need some fresh
faces out at the polls. This is a way to get some folks involved."
When the presidential election is held in 2008, Idaho will need lots of poll workers,
Ysursa said.
Luna said even though Election Day will likely be a school day, he thinks it'd be a good
project for 17-year-old high school seniors to miss class and work the polls.
"I think every school district ought to entertain that," Luna said.
Thirty percent of Idaho's voters ages 18 to 29 voted in the 2006 midterm election,
according to a study by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and
Engagement, or CIRCLE, at the University of Maryland. That was 5 percentage points
higher than the national young-voter turnout that year.
National young-voter turnout rose from 22 percent in 2002's midterm elections to 25
percent in 2006, while Idaho's number from 24 percent to 30 percent.
Those figures are still lower than those of older voters: 58 percent of Idaho voters over
age 30 cast ballots in 2006, compared with 54 percent nationwide. But Ysursa sees reason
for hope. Idaho ranks 15th in the nation for youth voting, up from 18th in 2002.
"The number of young voters increased in Idaho in 2006, and the 2008 election is a
significant opportunity to encourage even more young people to actively participate in
our democracy," Ysursa said.
The new Web site offers resources and lesson plans for teachers, as well as links and
useful information for young voters. It can be accessed from the Secretary of State's main
Web page, www.idsos.state.id.us, by clicking on the link to "Voting and Citizenship -
Student and Teacher Resources and Services."
Ysursa said any young people interested in serving as poll workers for elections should
contact their local county clerk. The Web site includes a listing of county elections
offices and phone numbers.
FROM MOSCOW DAILY NEWS
WSU wants to host presidential debate
If school is selected, event would take place at one of three venues in Spokane
By Amy Gray, Daily News staff writer
Monday, September 17, 2007 - Page Updated at 12:00:00 AM
Washington State University is one of 16 entities vying to host a 2008 Presidential
Debate, and university officials are considering several venues in Spokane for the event.
WSU submitted an application to the Commission on Presidential Debates in the spring.
"This is all about providing an opportunity for students to be engaged firsthand in the
process of selecting a new president. Debate is part of the citizen education process," said
Michael J. Tate, vice president of equity and diversity at WSU.
WSU is considering the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, the Spokane Convention
Center and the INB Performing Arts Center. The debate would be held between mid-
September and mid-October of next year. The host must supply $1.35 million to the
commission for the event. The host also provides volunteers and logistical support to
debate sponsors.
The application entailed a $7,500 fee and WSU officials submitted details about facilities,
parking, hotels, public transportation and electronic support. A debate traditionally
supports at least 3,000 journalists providing international coverage.
"It would be a rich experience for our students, just being close to it," Tate said. "All of
our students can't be in the room, but could be part of a televised debate here in Pullman
and at our campuses throughout the state.
"I think our chances are very good," he added. "My optimism is only borne out of the
work we've done so far, and I hope the commission will recognize the opportunity to
come to the Pacific Northwest."
The Western Governors' Association, an alliance of 19 governors, has endorsed WSU
and two other organizations - Arizona State University in Tempe and the Metropolitan
Recreation Exposition in Portland, Ore., in conjunction with Clark College in Vancouver,
Wash.
"We think the commission should pick one of these sites in the West. The West is so
different than other regions," said Chris McKenna, a project manager for the Western
Governors' Association. "Western issues are unique - federal land management, water
quality, relations with native tribes."
The commission typically stages three presidential debates and one debate between vice
presidential candidates. The commission will announce debate locations in late October.
If selected, WSU will raise the necessary money to host the debate.
"It's a considerable amount of money. We won't know until after we're selected, but we're
prepared," Tate said. "No university, no state money will be used to support this. All the
debates are supported privately through corporate or individual donations."
FROM LEWISTON TRIBUNE
Union dislikes teacher pay idea
Lawmaker wants to offer teachers more money to give up continuing contracts
By Dean A. Ferguson
September 18, 2007
Some top lawmakers say Idaho teachers should give up job security to get higher pay.
Idaho's Superintendent of Public Instruction says the idea is worth considering as
lawmakers debate ways to pay good teachers more.
The idea has the Idaho Education Association, the state's 13,000-member teachers union,
worried a union-busting effort is afoot.
"How can we improve reliability and credibility of our teacher workforce?" asked Senate
President Pro Tem Robert L. Geddes, R-Soda Springs. "With continuing contracts, that
seems to be a little difficult to do."
Teachers with four years' experience get "continuing contracts" that offer job protection,
including due process when administrators seek to fire them.
Lawmakers don't want to pay bad teachers more money, Geddes told the Lewiston
Tribune. Bad teachers are hard to fire because continuing contracts let the union defend
them. In cash-strapped schools, firing a bad teacher can be too costly, he said.
"What I think we need to do as we continue to increase the salary level of teachers is we
need to give something back for taxpayers instead of just saying, 'Here's more money. Go
be a good teacher,' " Geddes said.
Geddes backs a proposal to pay teachers $3,000 more a year if they give up their
continuing contracts. If a teacher chooses that option, the teacher could never again get a
continuing contract anywhere in Idaho. If it is easier for schools to cut loose bad teachers,
teachers will be motivated to stay sharp, he said.
The proposal, crafted by Geddes and Assistant House Majority Leader Scott Bedke, R-
Oakley, was discussed last week at the Legislature's Teachers Task Force meeting in
Boise. After the meeting, the idea was kicked back to "step one" when other task force
members saw pay and continuing contracts as separate issues.
Geddes said he will push to keep the issues linked.
The prospect of barring a teacher from ever signing a continuing contract sounds like
"union busting" to Sherri Wood, president of the Idaho Education Association.
"Teacher pay is a huge issue and needs to be discussed," Wood said. "But we don't
believe a continuing contract has anything to do with how you pay teachers."
The union is writing its own proposal for paying more to exceptional teachers. The
concept of some kind of "merit-based" pay has been around for decades.
Wood asked colleagues about teacher pay at a national conference in July. Of the many
states looking at pay, none had pondered anything like what Geddes proposed.
"There weren't any state Legislatures or policy-makers planning to do something with
alternative pay that had anything to do with continuing contracts," Wood said. "They
were appalled that such a thing was even happening."
Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna has plugged $60 million into his
budget request to the 2008 Legislature to boost teacher pay. But Luna said he won't ask
for the money if lawmakers don't give him a way to spend the money on a "teacher
performance" basis.
"Most people support increasing teacher pay," Luna told the Lewiston Tribune. "What
they want to see is that teachers are rewarded by their good work in the classroom."
Luna prefers to boost pay based on such traits as student achievement, teaching skill and
a teacher's willingness to help new teachers. But he doesn't discount Geddes' idea.
"I'm not saying I would not support a program that was presented - that was their
(teachers') option to participate in - that addressed continuing contracts," Luna said.
"That's open for discussion."
Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, a member of the task force, said Geddes' idea is a bad
one.
"Since it's specifically a union-busting type of legislation, it's divisive and, from that
perspective, deplorable," Ringo said.
If lawmakers are serious about paying good teachers more, ideas already exist.
Idaho school districts developed "career ladders" to reward good teachers in 1983. After
districts held meetings and hammered out plans, the Legislature failed to devote the
money, Ringo said.
"Many school districts probably have something in their files that could be dusted off and
considered."
As for whether it is too hard to fire a bad teacher, Ringo said most administrators simply
lack the training to do it properly.
Geddes said his opposition to continuing contracts has nothing to do with "union-
busting," even though the teachers' union angers many Republicans by supporting
Democrats and moderate Republicans.
"I'm not saying I'm trying to bust the union," he said. "They can join the union whether
they have a continuing contract or not."
Wood said pay and contracts should be separate issues.
"If we want to talk about continuing contracts, let's do that; let's make the contracts
workable," Wood said. "If it's, 'we'll give you $3,000 if you give up continuing contracts,'
we won't go there."
FROM IDAHO PRESS-TRIBUNE
ISAT changes don’t worry school officials
EDUCATION: Local districts say continued regular testing shows progress throughout
the year
By Christin Runkle
crunkle@idahopress.com
IDAHO - Schools across the state will encounter changes in testing and assessments
this year, but local administrators aren‟t too concerned about the outcome.
The Idaho State Board of Education recently voted to eliminate the optional winter
Idaho Standards Achievement Tests (ISAT) for third through ninth graders for at least
three years and all testing for second graders because state money wouldn‟t cover the cost
of all exams. The changes will reduce costs by $2.4 million and allow the State Board to
stay within its budget.
The board considered doing away with ninth-grade testing before nixing second-grade
testing instead, said state board chief communications officer Mark Browning. The
ninthgrade test doesn‟t count toward Adequate Yearly Progress, the federal benchmark
schools must meet as part of the No Child Left Behind law. But it is an important
benchmark because it comes before the 10th grade test, which students must pass to
graduate, Browning said. If they don‟t pass the test during the spring of their sophomore
year, students may continue to take the test during their junior and senior years until they
do pass.
“It was more palatable to give up second than ninth,” Browning said.
Second-grade testing was scheduled to begin this spring and wouldn‟t have counted
toward AYP either, Browning said.
Rebecca Denlinger, the Middleton School District‟s director of elementary education,
wasn‟t concerned about the loss of the winter test. The Middleton School District, like
other school districts, tests students frequently throughout the year to see how they‟re
progressing. The Open Court reading curriculum that the district uses tests elementary
students for reading comprehension once a week, Denlinger said.
“We do enough testing in house that we know exactly where everyone is and what their
needs are,” she said.
The good news, Denlinger said, is that “instruction will not be interrupted” during
winter testing, and “computer labs won‟t be shut down.”
Nampa School District public information officer Allison Westfall said that, like
Middleton, Nampa has assessment built into curriculum. And second graders are rather
young to be taking standardized tests anyway, Westfall said.
Vallivue High School Principal Wyatt Tustin said administrators would like to still
have the ability to test students three times a year.
“Any opportunity we have for kids to demonstrate proficiency is valuable,” Tustin said.
He was glad the State Board decided to keep testing for ninth graders, which also
doesn‟t count toward a school‟s AYP but gives educators an idea of student progress.
“It‟s a valuable test to have for ninth graders because it‟s the first chance kids have to
demonstrate proficiency” in high school, Tustin said.
Like Tustin, Parma High School Principal David Carson was glad to still have a way to
test ninth graders.
“It helps us at the high school be able to track the growth of students and use it as a
barometer of our teaching,” he said.
But the loss of the winter test means the loss of an extra chance for high schoolers to
pass their graduation requirements. Although it‟s not a “big deal,” Carson said, it “gave
students another opportunity to „bank‟ the test.”
Board shouldn’t deny kids chance to attend college (Editorial)
This view is from the Idaho State Journal editorial board in Pocatello.
It‟s a simple rule — you can‟t spend money that isn‟t there.
Gov. Butch Otter recently told the State Board of Education to shore up its share of a
federal GEAR UP grant to help nearly 7,000 students in low-income secondary schools
pay and prepare for college.
The board is $5.4 million short in matching funds to keep the program going, and may
have to return $18 million in matching federal funds.
But just because the board may be strapped doesn‟t make the program less desirable.
GEAR UP, which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for
Undergraduate Programs, provides funding to schools where more than 50 percent of
students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. Through the grant, schools can provide
more academic and career counseling, and students are eligible for more than 600 four-
year, renewable scholarships. More than 90 schools in Idaho qualify for the grant.
A program with the ability to help nearly 7,000 students is incredibly important in a
state where only 40 percent of high school seniors go on to higher education. Of those,
only onethird make it past the first year.
Idaho is behind nearly every other state when it comes to making sure students move on
to college.
We should be increasing rather than cutting funding for college preparation and
scholarship programs. That‟s if we want children to become educated adults. We need an
educated work force in the future.
The State Board of Education is looking to keep the GEAR UP program going.
It has applied to several philanthropic organizations, such as the Albertson Foundation
and the Micron Foundation, and is looking at other avenues to fund the program.
The next Legislature should give the board a memo: Fund programs to help young
people succeed.
NCLB defeats its goal in regard to Eclipse program (Editorial)
This view is from the Moscow-Pullman Daily News editorial board in Moscow.
By Doug Bauer, for the
editorial board
Every child in this country is entitled to the best K-12 education possible, and the No
Child Left Behind Act was enacted in 2002 to ensure just that.
However, not all students fit a standard mold. That is why alternative-education
programs were put in place, many long before the NCLB ever was introduced.
Such was the case in Pullman, Wash., where the Eclipse program was established in
1993 so students who failed to succeed in a traditional setting didn‟t get “left behind.”
Fourteen years later, the Pullman School District has put the program on hold due to
increased state and federal requirements. Eleven students were effectively displaced, and
the district had to come up with other means to provide them with an adequate education.
Most of the problems stem from NCLB requirements that school districts employ
“highly qualified teachers” for each subject. The NCLB requires teachers to have a
bachelor‟s degree and a state certification or license, and proof that they know the subject
they teach.
In May, 15 students graduated from Eclipse. All of them were taught by a single
teacher — a teacher who was adept at providing an education for students who might
otherwise go without.
Since it would be impossible for a lone teacher to be “highly qualified” in so many
subjects, and since the NCLB provides no monetary means to meet its mandates, Pullman
had to abandon the program altogether until a viable alternative can be found.
Not every student who seeks an alternative education does so because they cut up in
class, became pregnant, played hooky or failed to fit in. Some have lost family members
and been forced to work while continuing their educations. Some have learning
disabilities that made them lag behind their peers in some areas, and others simply
slipped through the cracks in the system.
Whatever the reason, being forced to shelve a program that has proved successful for
alternative-education students is contrary to NCLB‟s intended purpose.
FROM IDAHO STATESMAN
Borah places economics teacher on paid leave
Statesman staff - Idaho Statesman
Edition Date: 09/18/07
Longtime Borah High School teacher Ron Neil was removed from his job and placed on
paid leave, but district officials won't say why.
Boise School District spokesman Dan Hollar said Neil will continue to receive his salary
of $64,442 for teaching economics and a stipend of $2,608 that he receives as Borah's
varsity tennis coach. The school is looking for a replacement for Neil, Hollar said.
Hollar would not say how long Neil might receive a salary, saying state law prevents the
release of details about personnel matters. Neil has been teaching at Borah since 1995,
Hollar said.
FROM TIMES-NEWS
First day of school starts at Xavier, minus building
By Nate Poppino
Times-News writer
The classroom was cramped, and the students weren't using desks so much as chairs. But
the teacher - in dark slacks and shirt, with one back pocket crammed full of No. 2 pencils
- and his whiteboard could belong in any school.
It was only by leaving the sixth-grade math and Spanish classroom and seeing the
"Wanted by Jesus!" posters on the walls that one would know Xavier Charter School
wasn't quite where it should have been Monday morning.
With the school's building on North College Road awaiting final remodeling and an
inspection by the city, classes started as planned at 8 a.m. with a school assembly in the
gymnasium of the First Church of the Nazarene at 1231 Washington St. North.
For a school that attracted controversy before it even opened - first for being Twin Falls'
first charter school and later for an Idaho State Department of Education investigation -
opening two weeks late at an alternate location was but a minor setback that parents were
more than willing to overlook.
"When you're … starting out something new, there's going to be some glitches," said
Corinne Starley, whose daughters Brianna and Sierra started their third- and sixth-grade
years, respectively. "This has been worth the wait."
Other parents shared Starley's thoughts, including Marla Rotman, who said she has one
son, Zeke, enrolled in kindergarten at Xavier and another, Caleb, in third grade at Perrine
Elementary School. Since Caleb has adjusted well to public school and didn't want to
leave his friends, she kept him in Perrine, Rotman said. But for Zeke, who's never been in
school, Xavier's first year is a perfect time to start him through the charter school's
system.
Zeke's continued enrollment at Xavier means even more, Rotman said - he's autistic, and
she kept him in the school through the Department of Education's investigation into the
school's treatment of children with special needs. Though the school's special-needs
program is still evolving, Rotman said, it looks promising and just what Zeke needs.
"I think that sounds like something that's still being formed, which I'm OK with," she
said.
Along with its programs, the school's building will evolve as officials try to meet their
deadline - the church agreed to house the school for two weeks. Officials still have to
patch up the building's ceiling and receive a final inspection from the city, though once
all life-safety issues such as the ceiling work are complete, the school could receive a
temporary 30-day permit that would allow students in while final touches are made.
If that wasn't enough to plan around, students will have to go on "field days" on
Thursdays, when the church needs its space for Bible study classes.
The first field day, Principal Cindy Fulcher said, will be on the College of Southern Idaho
campus. Tours of the Herrett Center for Arts and Science that she had planned for later in
the year have been rescheduled to this week.
"It's something we had already talked about," Fulcher said. "We just pulled it quicker
than originally planned."
Even though school officials have just one month to give the fall Idaho Standards
Achievement Test to their brand-new students, they just seem happy that classes have
begun - even those whose job it was to sit in the empty Xavier building all day.
"We've been very blessed, I think," administrative assistant Stacie Lanier said.
Bookworm hero
WWII vet goes from mail service to reading to kids
By Nate Poppino
Times-News writer
To the outside world, he's Jerry Wertz, 88, one-time soldier, postman and railway worker.
To children at Lincoln Elementary School, he's Grandpa Jerry, the friendly, wrinkled man
who's played ball during recess and helped them all learn to read for nearly 10 years.
Wertz signed on to help with the America Reads program in 1999. The soft-spoken
former Army sergeant, American Legion commander and bus driver said he's seen a lot
of change since then. But his time at Lincoln has just been the latest chapter of an
eventful life.
Wertz was in his 20s and had served in a U.S. Army artillery unit for four years when
Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese in World War II. The boat he was on had
stopped at Pearl Harbor with mechanical trouble two days before, and after the attack he
wintered in Australia and was sent with a truck unit to help the Marines. His travels
during the war included the Solomon Islands and one prolonged encounter with enemy
soldiers.
"I didn't get shot or anything, much to the dismay of some of these teachers," he joked,
standing next to a map of the world painted on a wall in Lincoln.
After the war, he was posted as an amphibious tank driver in California - "I went out in
the ocean with that dumb thing," he said. His involvement with the unit nearly landed
him in Germany, but Wertz declined the trip and found himself working for a railroad
mail service in South Dakota. The job involved heavy lifting, and in less than a year,
Wertz injured himself.
"The first year I was home for Christmas, I was in the hospital with a hernia," he said.
He wasn't fit for the mail work, so Wertz served as a brakeman for a couple of years
before signing on with the U.S. Postal Service, where he'd spend the next 28 and a half
years. After working for a time in California, Wertz decided he'd had enough of the smog
and moved to Twin Falls - where his niece had a home - in 1976.
With nothing to do, Wertz signed on to be a bus driver. That lasted about as long as his
bus' brakes, which after several requests to fix them went out just as the bus approached
cars parked at an intersection. Wertz saved the day by pulling into a gun store's curved
driveway and hitting the emergency brake.
"Well, then they fixed the brakes," he laughed.
Eventually, Wertz read in the paper that Lincoln needed people to read with the students.
Since he started helping out - first reading to kindergarten through third-graders and
eventually just kindergartners - the school has changed, he said.
"They do things a lot different now than when I first started," Wertz said. "(The kids)
used to go to the library or the park. Now, with the government on (teachers') backs, I
can't even pull them out of class to read."
And that means, he said, that it might be time to retire again. His obligations to the Twin
Falls Senior Center and local American Legion have been fulfilled, and he'd have nothing
to do but putter at home with his wife of 61 years.
Not that he wouldn't miss the kids - who tackled him in the middle of an interview,
bringing a smile to his face.
"Oh my goodness, it's hug time!"
FROM IDAHO STATE JOURNAL
ISU president sets stage for state medical school
BY CASEY SANTEE csantee@journalnet.com
POCATELLO - Idaho State University President Arthur Vailas envisions a medical
school at his institution a decade down the road. But first, he said state lawmakers need to
outline a plan to set the wheels in motion.
That could happen in the next few months.
Gov. C.L. Butch Otter asked health industry officials in August to come up with a plan
for an Idaho medical school that he intends to present to lawmakers during the next
legislative session.
“Some folks say we can‟t afford a medical school. My view is can Idaho afford not to
have a medical school,” Vailas said, adding that such an institution would be a boon to
the state economy.
Vailas said the State Board of Education charged ISU with fulfilling Idaho‟s health care
mission years ago, so the school already has an excellent medical education system in
place, which includes the College of Pharmacy, the Institute of Rural Health and the
state‟s only universitybased medical residency program.
State Sen. Diane Bilyeu, D-Pocatello, said she and other lawmakers have talked with
Vailas about the possibility of expanding ISU‟s role in medical education, though she
stopped short of using the term medical school.
“What Dr. Vailas has in mind is to develop the programs he has throughout the state,”
Bilyeu said. “Whatever we call it, it‟s critical. We are one of the worst states in the nation
from the standpoint of the number of doctors per capita.”
Bilyeu said it would be disappointing to see such a program located at any other state
university because doing so would duplicate what ISU already offers.
Vailas said the process of expanding medical education at ISU, and eventually starting
a medical school, is to create a network of teaching hospitals throughout the state that
would partner with the university. He said more than 150 physicians already teach classes
for ISU.
Tribal school returns to traditional teaching methods
BY DEBBIE BRYCE dbryce@journalnet.com
FORT HALL - Classes are back in session, but controversy still surrounds the
Shoshone-Bannock High School in Fort Hall.
Students returned to the classroom Sept. 10, amid the recent controversy brought about
by the removal of elected school board members and former school administrators.
Acting principal and superintendent William D. “Rusty” Edmo, said former
Superintendent Jody Crowe and Principal Jon Hussman were dismissed by the Fort Hall
Business Council when the school failed to make average yearly progress for the second
year.
“The only year we‟ve made Safe Harbor was 2004/2005,” Edmo said.
Crowe and Hussman, both non-Indians, alleged that their termination was racially-
based and both said they intended to sue over the firings.
Edmo said school board members were removed because the May 25 election was not
valid.
“They failed to advertise the election as required,” he said.
The business council appointed five new school board members and eliminated the four
elected positions.
Board member Marcia Hall said in a recent press release that the removal violated the
Tribes‟ education code requiring public meetings be held before, not after a tribal
amendment is enacted. School board members filed several letters with the Bureau of
Indian Affairs in Portland, Ore., requesting federal intervention and a legal opinion about
the removal of the elected school board members.
Hall said school board members also filed a complaint with the Professional Standards
Commission of the Idaho Department of Education questioning Edmo‟s credentials and
alleging that he does not meet minimum requirements for the position of superintendent
or principal.
Edmo, a Shoshone-Bannock tribal member, served as the school‟s director for more
than 10 years and as principal at Shoshone-Bannock High School in 1995.
Despite the controversy, Edmo said 150 students are currently enrolled at the school.
A new academic curriculum and several vocational training courses were added this
year.
Edmo said the school partnered with the Pacific Northwest Carpenters Union to
establish an apprentice program as part of the new vocational training offered at
Shoshone-Bannock High School.
Along with carpentry, the school‟s industrial arts program includes welding and
automobile repair.
Traditional studies, including Bannock and Shoshone language programs and a new
traditional home economics class, is also being offered for the 2007/2008 school year.
Native American art classes were expanded, and local artists will be invited into the
classroom to work with students throughout the year.
Edmo said the Shoshone-Bannock High School‟s new curriculum, “Teaching in Sacred
Places” is research-based.
“Under the last administration, teachers were told to throw out their textbooks and
teach from material they got online. We‟re returning to more traditional methods and
study plans,” he said. “We need to work together as a community and teachers need to be
allowed to teach.”
Edmo said almost half of the students at Shoshone-Bannock High School were placed
in special education classes under the past administration.
“We are working on re-evaluating students now to see why that number was so high,”
he said.
Plans to implement an incentive program for teachers are in the works, beginning with
reopening the teachers‟ lounge which, Edmo said, was closed under the past
administration.
He said returning to traditional teaching methods along with support from the
community and parents is helping to turn the school around.
“It‟s a community school,” Edmo said. “I like getting input from parents and teachers.”
FROM IDAHO FALLS POST-REGISTER
No education stories posted online today.