The Kevin Richert Podcast

This week a number of school districts and charters started back to school. Some schools reopening for the first time since the early days of the pandemic. But there were challenges across the state, from staffing concerns, to delays in student devices arriving, to scarcity of basics like sanitizing wipes. Meanwhile, some teachers and at least one entire high school football team are in quarantine...

For this week's episode Sami Edge of Idaho Education News and Nicole Foy of the Idaho Statesman discuss the latest story from their ongoing Latino Listening Project. Sami and Nicole discuss what concerns they heard from Latino and Hispanic families who are worried about returning to school amid the coronavirus.

As the first day of school draws closer, more and more Idaho students are gearing up for online and blended learning. We'll break down what we know from the state's three largest school districts and what Gov. Brad Little said during his school reopening press confer this week.

With only two weeks remaining until the first day of school in some areas families, teachers and administrators are grappling with how to return in the fall. We'll explain why the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and a spike in cases is overtaking reopening plans in some of the state's largest school districts.

With the first day of school only a month away, teachers are starting to react to the state's reopening guidance that came out last week. Overall, teachers said they miss their students, they want to go back for in-person instruction and they want to know the state and schools have a plan to do that safely.

This week Gov. Brad Little released Idaho's guidance for reopening schools. At the highest levels of government, from Little on up to President Trump, officials are encouraging and expecting schools to reopen at the end of the summer. With only five weeks remaining until the first day of school, we'll try to put it all in perspective.

Over the past week, COVID-219 cases have been on the rise in Boise and other communities. We'll explain the response, which included moving Ada County back to to stage three, limiting group sizes there and closing Boise State University's campus.

This week's top story is the State Board of Education will empower local school boards to develop their own plans for reopening in the fall. We'll explain the decision and discuss how this is a departure from how closures were handled this spring. Plus, get caught up on the rest of this week's big stories.

This week Boise State Public Radio's James Dawson joins the podcast to discuss Idaho's coronavirus responses and the political struggles and peer pressure that have come up along the way. Plus, Dawson and EdNews reporter Clark Corbin look back at last week's oral arguments from school chief Sherri Ybarra's lawsuit against the Legislature and the State Board of Education.

Idaho Supreme Court justices asked tough questions Friday during oral arguments in the turf war between schools chief Sherri Ybarra, the Legislature and the State Board of Education. We'll discuss some of the key questions and play a couple of audio clips. Plus, find out the results of Idaho's historic first all-absentee primary election.

This week, the conversation started to pivot toward what school might look like in Idaho this fall, both at the public school and higher education level. We'll highlight how approaches might vary from district to district. Plus, find out the latest on school chief Sherri Ybarra's lawsuit as we brace for oral arguments next week.

This week we break down the new budget guidance from Gov. Brad Little that offers a blueprint for cutting next year's school budget by 5 percent, or about $99 million. We'll look at cuts to technology and freezing teachers on the career ladder salary system.

This week the Idaho State Board of Education revised the criteria schools would need to meet if they hope to reopen during the end of the current academic year. The new criteria aligns with Gov. Brad Little's staged Idaho Rebounds plan. We'll explain what the limits are, and why you shouldn't expect a return to business as usual.

After more than a month in a statewide, stay-home order, Idaho begins its gradual reopening today. We'll discuss how lifting the stay-home order affects local schools' ability to attempt to reopen this year. Plus, we break down the latest developments in schools chief Sherri Ybarra's lawsuit against the State Board and the Legislature.

Schools chief Sherri Ybarra told education leaders to brace for another round of budget cuts, this time cutting the 2020-21 budget that kicks in July 1. We will explain how big the cuts could be and what to look for.

We focus this week's episode on two major decisions; The State Board of Education's reopening criteria and Gov. Brad Little's decision to extend the statewide stay-home order through the end of the month. We'll break down how the two decisions interest with each other, and how how these debates are quickly turning political.

This week the State Board of Education made the historic decision to close schools through the end of the academic year. But there is a catch. Local school leaders will be able to attempt to re-open if they meet a list of forthcoming criteria and get approval from local public health officials. Plus, an existential crisis looms over Idaho's vacant college campuses. Co-host Kevin Richert breaks dow...

School leaders are beginning to ask how the 1 percent budget holdbacks Gov. Brad Little announced last week will affect public schools, given that the cuts will be absorbed during the end of the year. We know the impact will be about $19 million and federal stimulus funds will soon be on the way and could offset that. Plus, the State Board of Education is considering the statewide school closure b...

Episode 204: Idaho Ramps Up Coronavirus Response by Idaho EdNews

Most Idaho schools have closed amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, but Gov. Brad Little has so far declined to call for a statewide closure. Meanwhile, the virus has spread across more Idaho counties and Little announced an isolation order for Blaine County on Thursday afternoon. All the while, the Legislature kept working. We'll explain how the situation at the Statehouse went from surreal to sc...

Gov. Brad Little declared a state of emergency across Idaho on Friday in an effort to help minimize the spread of coronavirus. We'll explain what the declaration means and what the Little said. Meanwhile, Little and state superintendent Sherri Ybarra are not pushing to close schools. Plus, where does the Legislature stand with all of this as the session rages on?

This week the Legislature's joint budget committee unveiled the 2020-21 public school budgets. Find out what programs are in line to get funded, and why state superintendent Sherri Ybarra could lose nearly $3 million and 18 full-time positions from her State Department of Education office budget. Plus, the latest on a controversial transgender athletics bill.

It’s a milestone for us — Episode 200 of the “Extra Credit” podcast — and another full week of news from the Statehouse. Listen as Clark Corbin and Kevin Richert get you caught up on teacher salaries, transgender athletics, school election dates and more. And we take a deeper dive into Idaho’s much-touted “60 percent goal,” an education initiative the state’s leaders aren’t talking much about thes...

Idaho Falls Republican Rep. Barbara Ehardt pushed two controversial bills at the Statehouse this week. The first would ban transgender girls from participating in girls' sports. The other is a sex ed bill that would require parents to opt-in their children for them to take part in any instruction on human sexuality or discussion or sexual orientation. Plus, a $225 million teacher pay plan made its...

Another big, wild week at the Legislature: The Senate Education Committee approves the math, English and science standards the House rejected a week ago. House members push back against a plan to train teachers on social-emotional issues. A transgender athletics bill makes its debut. Clark Corbin and Kevin Richert break it all down on "Extra Credit." And check back next week for the next edition.