Day 69: She scored some wins

Carly Flandro | 03/14/2023

State superintendent Debbie Critchfield notched some wins today as legislative budget writers laid out a plan for how to spend more than $3.3 billion for public schools.

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee restored $10 million for classroom technology, which was one of Critchfield’s requests.

And Critchfield praised JFAC for boosting teacher pay and classified salaries, while giving districts the latitude to address their local needs.

“I think it’s a great budget,” she told EdNews senior reporter Kevin Richert. “Many of the priority pieces that we’ve heard from school districts are reflected in this budget.”

JFAC’s K-12 budget bills passed with strong bipartisan support, but still need to pass the House and Senate.

Carly Flandro

Carly Flandro reports from her hometown of Pocatello. Prior to joining EdNews, she taught English at Century High and was a reporter for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. She has won state and regional journalism awards, and her work has appeared in newspapers throughout the West. Flandro has a bachelor’s degree in print journalism and Spanish from the University of Montana, and a master’s degree in English from Idaho State University. You can email her at [email protected] or call or text her at (208) 317-4287.