The Kevin Richert Podcast

Kevin's Podcast: Introduction by Idaho EdNews

This is final episode of this iteration of Idaho Education News weekly education podcast. Before we say goodbye, we had a full week go legislative action to recap. Co-host Clark Corbin is accepting another job at a new online journalism project in Idaho and will be leaving Idaho Education News. Listen all the way to the end of this week's episode to find out what co-host Kevin Richert's has planne...

This week the State Board of Education nearly killed off one of the state's longtime education goals. For more than a decade the state has hoped to see 60 percent of Idaho's young adults hold a postsecondary degree or certificate to meet projected workforce needs. We'll explain what happened, plus recap a full week from the Legislature.

This week three of Idaho's largest school districts moved toward reopening for in-person learning for all grades. Meanwhile, the Legislature weighed in with several bills addressing school closure authority and the removal of public health limits for crowds and gatherings.

The action at the Idaho Statehouse picked up this week with the introduction of bills that cover a range of controversial topics from guns on school campuses to limitations on gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic. We'll break down a busy week that sets the table for some big debates.

One of the biggest weeks of the whole session, Education Week has come to a close at the Idaho Statehouse. This week Kevin and Clark share full coverage from a week of budget hearings and briefings. We'll explain why the higher education hearings — and the issues legislators focused on — were particularly interesting this year.

This week we reported on personal stories from teachers across the state who shared their decisions about the coronavirus vaccine. For the last week, teachers have been at the top of the state''s priority list and they are turning out in large numbers to get shots. Plus, a look at political showdown that is escalating inside the Statehouse as the second week of the legislative session comes to a c...

Editor's Note: We added a footnote at the end of this week's episode to reflect the state of Idaho revised its vaccine data on Jan. 15, the date this episode was published. The Idaho Legislature kicked off its 2021 legislative session in Boise this week, gathering for an in-person session as the coronavirus continues to spread. We'll break down the highlights from Gov. Brad Little's State of the S...

Idaho is gearing up for an uncertain, and possibly unsafe, legislative session that kicks off Monday. This week we look at issues of safety and access amid the coronavirus pandemic. We also break down some of the big education issues that are expected to create debate this year.

From education to politics to sports to our personal lives, the coronavirus pandemic changed everything in 2020. With the year about to end and new legislative session on the horizon, we take a step back and review what changed this year, how it changed and what might start to happen next.

This week Gov. Brad Little said legislators should seriously consider delaying the legislative session until a vaccine is available or moving to a more remote format. House Minority Leader Illana Rubel. D-Boise, also said legislature should delay the 2021 session. With only a month to go until the scheduled opening day, many questions remain.

The Legislature was back in Boise this week, for a few days in any way. In preparation for the upcoming 2021 session, Senate leaders named a new Senate Education Committee chairman. We'll discuss Sen. Steven Thayn's background, and explain how a House leadership race cost one lawmaker her spot on the joint budget committee.

This week Idaho set grim records for the number of new coronavirus cases and COVID-19 deaths. Schools continue to navigate a difficult set of circumstances attempting to keep their buildings open. But news of a vaccine offers a ray of hope. We'll break what we know about Idaho's vaccine plans.

This week we take a closer look at the the Boise School District's decision to move to full remote learning in the face of rising coronavirus cases and operational strains at every corner. Unless the pandemic is put under control, more districts may soon find themselves in Boise's position.

This week we scratch under the surface of Idaho's statewide 2020 election results. Amid record turnout, voters delivered a deep red result that allows the Republicans to expand their supermajority in the Legislature. We'll take a closer look at particularly interesting district in Boise. We'll also consider how a couple of county commission races can affect education.

Idaho is in a crisis with the coronavirus pandemic Gov. Brad Little said this week as he announced new restrictions for Idaho. The pushback was swift. Some Idahoans said the governor's modest response doesn't do enough to slow the spread the virus. Others said the governor has done too much to restrict liberty and harm the economy. This week, we break down some of the numbers behind our top storie...

Hundreds of teachers called in sick Monday and Tuesday, forcing the state's largest school district to cancel school for two days. Although classes have resumed, division and challenges remain. In many ways West Ada's story is indicative of the issues facing districts all across the state.

Idaho's largest school district is bracing for more than 700 teachers to call in sick on Monday in protest of continuing in-person learning under the highest COVID-19 risk classification. We're not really sure what will happen yet, but the district has said it can't cover the absences as of now.

COVID-19 cases continue to increase in Idaho. This week, a report from the White House Coronavirus Task Force recommends moving to online school in Idaho counties with high case numbers. The report suggests increases in COVID-19 cases among 12-17 year-olds may be linked to school reopening. The White House task force also recommends moving University of Idaho, Boise State University and Brigham Yo...

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare says students returning to college is one of the factors driving an increase in COVID-19 cases. The numbers show that several university campuses are experiencing sharp increases in COVID-19 cases. This week, outbreaks led the University of Idaho to allow virtual teaching this week.

It was a sobering week on the school reopening front across the state. Middleton's superintendent announced that district employee died after contracting COVID-19. Meanwhile, schools and districts from North Start Charter to Glenns Ferry to Emmett are moving to online learning or temporarily closing in the wake of multiple confirmed cases.

Across the state, schools, colleges and universities continue to navigate reopening and dealing with the pandemic. The fallout touches so many areas. This week, we discuss the plan to offset K-12 public schools budget cuts. Plus we take a look at higher education, where colleges and universities are bracing for furloughs and hoping for a return of football.

Today Gov. Brad Little requested $99 million in feral relief money to offset state cuts to the K-12 public school budget. On this week's show we'll explain the proposal, break down what we know about how the money can be used and talk about the budget news that let up to Little's announcement.

Schools continue come back in session this week, and the plans are literally all over the map. That's by design, of course. Gov. Little and the State Board of Education asked local school boards to come up with their own reopening plans. On this week's episode we'll discuss how its going and highlight the areas where policy and politics collide.

This week the Idaho Legislature convened for a rare special session to address issues related to the coronavirus pandemic. It went off the rails before the session was even gaveled in as large crowds became unruly and ignored masking and social distance rules.