Kevin’s blog
Expert analysis and the latest news from award-winning journalist Kevin Richert.
UPDATED: Boise, Valley View Elementary offer new $295,000 settlement to parents
It’s unclear whether this offer is related to the $7 million in sexual abuse settlements the Boise district announced last month — or to Gavin Snow, a former special education assistant at Valley View. The district isn’t saying.
Secure Rural Schools funding bill heads to president’s desk
The bill provides funding through 2025-26, and two years of retroactive payments. Idaho schools last received $6.9 million from the program — but that was in April 2024.
By the numbers: Advanced Opportunities program grew in 2024-25
A recent Idaho Department of Education report to the Legislature outlined the program’s growth last school year.
Boise district: Many tort claims ‘appear to stem from coordinated efforts’
The Boise School District went public, and went on the offensive, releasing all of its answers to media questions about a $7 million series of sexual abuse settlements.
Boise State launches search for new CFO
The chief financial officer’s job is just one of several top administrative openings at Boise State, in addition to the president’s vacancy.
Supreme Court sets hearing date on Idaho’s transgender athletics ban
The Jan. 13 hearing — and the court’s ruling, likely to come later in 2026 — will resonate well beyond Idaho, and mark a pivotal moment in the national debate over transgender athletics.
Clow resigns from House, ahead of 2026 session
The former House Education Committee chairman said he had already decided not to run for an eighth term next year.
Pickens makes gubernatorial bid official
It will be Democrat Terri Pickens’ second statewide campaign. The Boise attorney ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2022.
Idaho Center transfer on hold until at least December
A divided Nampa City Council has scheduled a public hearing on the controversial transfer, and the College of Western Idaho is in a holding pattern.
Judge hears arguments in Oneida funding lawsuit
The Oneida School District says a 2024 state law took away at least $7.8 million that the district expected to put toward a $29 million elementary school project. The state’s attorneys want the case dismissed.