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Idaho lawmakers weigh ideas for funding school construction

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Idaho lawmakers weigh ideas for funding school construction


BOISE — From a revolving mortgage fund for varsity building, to increasing the present bond levy equalization fund, to creating a brand new everlasting constructing fund for colleges, lawmakers on a joint committee taking a look at funding for varsity services signaled Tuesday that they’re open to a variety of concepts.

“I’m a believer in brainstorming and collaboration,” stated Sen. Dave Lent, R-Idaho Falls, co-chair of the legislative interim working group. “I admire the inventive course of that we’re in proper now.”

Rep. Jason Monks, R-Meridian, the panel’s different co-chair, invited committee members to proceed to ship the co-chairs their concepts, and he and Lent stated they’re open to others, together with permitting affect charges for colleges.

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Lent stated the legislative panel hopes to assemble a brief checklist of concepts and start delving into them throughout the coming weeks, with the hope of agreeing on legislative proposals by the tip of December.

“That’s our aim, that we’ve one thing we will transfer ahead within the Legislature,” he stated.

In January, the Legislature’s Workplace of Efficiency Evaluations issued a 103-page report, discovering that it could value an estimated $847 million to get all colleges within the 77 of Idaho’s 115 faculty districts that responded to surveys for the report as much as “good” situation. The Legislature final commissioned a statewide facility situation evaluation of college buildings in 1993.

Idaho largely leaves the price of faculty building to native property taxpayers, who should vote by a two-thirds supermajority to boost their taxes with a view to construct a brand new faculty. In 2005, the Idaho Supreme Courtroom dominated that system unconstitutional, as a result of the Idaho Structure requires the Legislature to fund colleges. However solely minor modifications have been made since then.

On Tuesday, Sen. Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian, proposed each a revolving mortgage fund for varsity building and growth of the present bond levy equalization program, which gives some matching funds for bond funds for qualifying faculty districts with low property values.

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“I do know we had communities simply exterior the Treasure Valley that had years of making an attempt to move bonds,” she stated, however they “saved getting turned down as a result of frankly their people couldn’t afford it. And but these are Idaho college students that all of us care about.”

She stated she thought the thought of a revolving mortgage fund for brand spanking new building is “one thing that may and needs to be explored.”

Rep. Sally Toone, D-Gooding, stated the state wants to deal with facility prices for costly career-technical education schemes, equivalent to laboratories, that rural Idaho faculty districts presently can’t afford.

Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking, D-Boise, enthusiastically backed each Den Hartog’s and Toone’s proposals. “I believe we’ve gotten to the purpose in Idaho the place passing bonds is now not potential with a skyrocketing property tax as we’ve seen all through the state,” she stated. “So we’re taking a look at districts which have tried time and again to determine a pathway ahead for brand spanking new colleges or for renovating colleges, and it hasn’t occurred. … I applaud them for bringing these ahead.”

Lent floated the thought of “one thing like a everlasting constructing fund for colleges,” to probably pay half the price of building, reducing in half the necessity for property taxes to repay a faculty bond.

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Rep. Julie Yamamoto, R-Caldwell, instructed trying into normal designs for colleges that may very well be made obtainable cost-free to high school districts; and in addition trying into how Idaho’s older faculty services might be outfitted with dependable broadband service.

Sen. Jeff Agenbroad, R-Nampa, co-chair of the Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, shared a number of pages of information from an earlier analysis venture about Idaho faculty funding, bonds and levies through the years. As of 2020, he identified, the state had about $150 million much less in excellent faculty bonds than it had in 2004, in inflation-adjusted {dollars}. “I don’t suppose which means we don’t have a necessity,” he stated.

Rep. Matthew Bundy, R-Mountain Dwelling, stated progress in pupil enrollment additionally must be factored in, and that lawmakers ought to weigh priorities together with new building and refurbishing getting older buildings.

Monks stated he’d wish to see constitution faculty facility building funding addressed as effectively.

The committee plans to proceed to satisfy each two to 3 weeks via the tip of the yr.

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On the shut of Tuesday’s assembly, Lent stated, “I’ve been considering so much about this matter for the final couple of months. I’m reminded of our duty as a Legislature to satisfy the necessities as said within the Structure because it comes to colleges. I’d encourage our committee to evaluation that once more, have a look at it.”

He stated he thought the 10-member bipartisan panel was precisely the proper group to work on the issue. “I do know every one among you, and your contribution and your data and background on this topic,” he stated. “Your participation and enter is important to assist us give this situation a tough scrub and see what comes out of it, see if we might be of profit to the folks of Idaho.”



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Idaho

Idaho high school students looking to decrease teen nicotine use speak with state lawmakers

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Idaho high school students looking to decrease teen nicotine use speak with state lawmakers


BOISE, Idaho — The American Heart Association and local teens teamed up and encouraged state legislators to support smoke-free air laws and licensed retailer enforcement to help establish a tobacco-free Idaho.

“So we’re looking to increase funding for education of tobacco and nicotine prevention,” said a Meridian High School student.

About a dozen high school students took on the challenge Thursday morning of connecting with busy lawmakers to make a change for their futures. “As a high school student I can definitely say that I see nicotine being used in my school very often,” said Abigail Wallace, a local high school student.

The decrease in the traditional cigarettes has made way for nicotine intake via vape and new chewing tobacco style products like ‘Zyn.’

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Bebeto Matthews/AP

Containers of Zyn, a smokeless nicotine pouch, are displayed for sale among other nicotine and tobacco products at a newsstand on Feb. 23, 2024, in New York.

Nearly 18% of Idaho high schoolers report regularly using nicotine in some way.

“It’s common to go into the bathrooms and you would smell it. It’s just always like a constant thing that you’re surrounded by, especially with the new nicotine pouches, it’s like people put them in like gum,” said Lydia Kamann, a local high school student.

The American Heart Association is helping coordinate and educate these passionate teens to encourage their representatives and senators to keep nicotine and tobacco laws and regulations top of mind.

“And they want to hear from us. No better way to do it than be here and share with them real-life instances and stories,” said Angela Creason, a cardiac arrest survivor and advocate, who volunteers with the American Heart Association.

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The association aims to have e-cigarette smoke included in the Idaho Clean Indoor Air Act and increase taxes and costs on new popular flavored and smokeless tobacco products, potentially using that money to fund impactful prevention education

“[We’re] just trying to up the education level on that and getting teens more focused on why they should not do it,” said another local high school student while speaking with Democratic Senator Melissa Wintrow.





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Idaho schools send out clarification on new immigration enforcement rules

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Idaho schools send out clarification on new immigration enforcement rules


The Trump White House last week laid out rules saying federal agents could not make immigration arrests in sensitive places like schools, churches or hospitals. The new directive has left some parents in Idaho concerned about what this means for their children in schools.

The Jerome School District with the Jerome Police Department posted a letter to the school community, addressing potential misconceptions that might make parents scared to send their kids to school.

“We understand that there’s concerns; there’s fears. We just want to make sure that they knew that education was important; safety is number one priority,” said Kim Lickley, Federal Programs Director for the district.

Under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, student information is confidential and cannot be released without consent.

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“We never ask about documentation status. Students show up at our door, we enroll them, we educate them, we help them meet their goals, and we hopefully graduate them,” Lickley said.

The school district and police department said they can’t release students to someone not listed on an emergency contact list. The only exception would be if a warrant were produced.

Other districts have sent out similar statements, including the Boise School District.

Its letter went out this week saying their students’ information would be protected and that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1982 that every child is entitled to free public education regardless of immigration status.

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Red cards and constitutional rights, Idaho Hispanic Foundation answers immigration questions

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Red cards and constitutional rights, Idaho Hispanic Foundation answers immigration questions


NAMPA, Idaho — “You know, there is a lot of fear, nervousness, [and] anxiety just because there’s a lot of information out there, and it’s not always the most accurate information,” says Mari Ramos, Executive Director of the Idaho Hispanic Foundation. The non-profit foundation has been helping families and the Hispanic community in Idaho since 2018.

Reports of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sweeps in large U.S. cities are growing, spurred by President Donald Trump’s executive order to deport immigrants who are in the country without legal authorization.

En ingles: Idaho Senate advances immigration enforcement bill

Ramos, who fields questions daily at the Idaho Hispanic Foundation in Nampa, says concern about such raids taking place in Southern Idaho is coming to the forefront of her day-to-day.

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“It seems to be people don’t know what to believe [and] don’t know what is true, what is accurate, [and] what is not,” she explains. “There’s footage that may not even be from here, but it is portrayed like it’s from here. So there’s a lot of nervousness and fear of what could be happening.”

Ramos says that lack of clarity is causing nervousness throughout Treasure Valley. “And this isn’t just our undocumented community. We have people who have residences who are asking people who are citizens [because] they were born here but maybe their parents weren’t.”

These concerns come after President Trump passed another executive order to end birthright citizenship, a move that’s already being met with legal challenges from multiple states attorneys general.

To help clarify the situation, the Idaho Hispanic Foundation provides interested individuals with a list of Spanish-speaking lawyers. In addition to that, they are constantly seeking input from immigration consultants to ensure the latest information is accurate.

“We have these red cards. They are the ‘Know Your Rights” cards and they are available [to] anybody.”

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Idaho News 6

The cards in question include info in both Spanish and English that provides people with their constitutional rights if someone is questioned by ICE.

The Center will also be hosting events to help people in need if their family members are detained. In the meantime, the foundation is collecting contributions to help anyone with immigration issues.

“What we are doing is raising funds to be able to help anybody who needs [it]. When we get to those kinds of things [like when a] husband is deported— now the wife is having to figure [everything] out, that’s where we are gonna come in wrap our services around whoever it is that needs it,” concluded Ramos.

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