Kevin’s blog

Cursive, and more: Legislative roundup, 2/28

Rep. Linden Bateman’s cursive crusade has come to fruition. The Senate approved his cursive handwriting resolution Thursday. The next step: State Board of Education rulemaking.

The saga of a student and a salamander

A sixth-grader from Boise’s White Pine Elementary School wowed lawmakers Wednesday — and proved to be an able advocate for an amphibian.

Lands transfer idea: on hold for 2013?

The idea of state management of federal lands created quite the buzz earlier this legislative session. That buzz is unlikely to translate to an actual bill, at least in 2013.

Wednesday’s Statehouse roundup (UPDATED, 4:25 p.m.)

A Coeur d’Alene lawmaker is back with a bill that would provide tax credits for contributions to private school scholarship funds. And more news from the Legislature.

Was that today? Cursive bill put on hold

Senators will wait one more day to weigh in on cursive handwriting in elementary schools — after giving one of their colleagues more time to do his homework.

Driver’s license bill runs into a ditch

Heading today’s roundup of Statehouse headlines: The Senate Education Committee rejected Chairman John Goedde’s bill requiring teen driver’s licenses to “satisfactory academic progress.”

Today’s ‘sequestration’ number: $5,795,625

No matter how the numbers shake out, the looming federal budget cuts won’t affect Idaho schools until the 2013-14 academic year.

Statehouse roundup: UPDATED, 5:50 p.m.

From cursive handwriting to a bill to hire more math and science teachers, it was a busy Monday on the legislative front. Here’s a briefing.

Farm Bureau defends rewrite of initiative law

The Idaho Farm Bureau says a bill to tighten the state’s initiative and referendum process has nothing to do with the voters’ rejection of the Students Come First laws.