Here's the full recording of the Special PCSC (Public Charter School Commission) meeting held on Aug 1.

It’s a good thing we requested the full file of the audio recording of the PCSC meeting as soon as the meeting concluded. We were told by IPTV (the entity that streamed the event) that they were instructed by PCSC staff not to save the audio/video of the special meeting. We then sent a Freedom of Information Act request to the State Board of Education. We received it! Here it is.

Listen here:

Charter Schools testify to years of malpractice by commission staff with no opportunity for due process.

Charter Schools testify to fear of retaliation for coming forward.

Charter Schools testify to a pattern of deliberate misinformation by staff to commissioners.

Parents testify to defend school choice.

Students testify in favor of virtual schools.

SBOE Sets Meetings Around Idaho to Discuss Rules Governing Education Policy

LINK TO PRESS RELEASE FROM SBOE HERE

HEARINGS SET STATEWIDE ON EDUCATION RULES

The Idaho State Board of Education will hold public hearings later this month around the state on education-related rules including the Idaho content standards.

In 2009, Idaho worked with the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers and other states around developing common core content standards in English language arts and mathematics.

In 2010, after a series of hearings held around the state, the Board adopted the Idaho content standards, which were approved by the Idaho Legislature the following year. Content standards are re-evaluated on a rotating basis (in alignment with the curricular materials five-year review cycle). As part of the rolling evaluation process and lawmaker interest, the mathematics and English language arts content standards were opened up for a comprehensive statewide review in 2015-16. Based on that process and feedback received, the Board adopted amended standards in 2016, which were approved by the Legislature in 2017.

“The hearings will provide an opportunity for the public to share comments and specific suggestions they may have about administrative rules,” State Board Chief Planning and Policy Officer, Tracie Bent said. “The purpose of the content standards is to set minimum levels for student progress by gradate the primary and secondary level. These minimum content standards are necessary to meet the constitutional requirement to maintain a“uniform and thorough system”of public schools. The method for meeting the standards is the curriculum that is chosen by each school district and charter school. Curriculum is set at the local level by each school district.”

Idaho has content standards in 13 categories, eight of them are identified as “core” content areas (IDAPA 08.02.03.105).

The schedule for public hearings on Docket 08-0000-1900, IDAPA Chapter 08 (education-related rules) is:

August 19, 2019 –College of Western Idaho, Nampa; Academic Building Room 102E -6:00 -9:30 p.m. (MDT)

August 21, 2019 –College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls; Hepworth Building Room 108 –6:00 –9:30 p.m. (MDT)

August 22, 2019 –North Idaho College, Coeur d’Alene; Student Union Building Lake Coeur d’Alene Room –6:00 –9:30 p.m. (PDT)

August 27, 2019 –College of Eastern Idaho, Idaho Falls; Building 6 (Health Education Building) Room 150/152 –6:00 –9:30 p.m. (MDT)

More about the rules process is posted on the State Board website

What you need to know if attending House Leadership Town Hall or Charter Commission Meeting

Hi Everyone! Looking forward to our opportunity to advocate for school choice on Thursday, August 15th, at the first Commission meeting post-Attorney General's decision on the illegal April PCSC Executive Session; and on August 20th at the Idaho Legislature’s GOP Leadership Town Hall in Meridian.

If you can be there to talk about why school choice is important to you-- we really need you to!

A few things to note:

1. Recall that the illegal executive session revealed the commission's intent to close several schools. Some of the schools discussed are the only option a parent has for their child.

2. Also recall that we posted on our website a contrast between what the staff and commissioners say in public meetings versus private meetings. In Public- they say they can't close the schools.... in private, they spend two hours talking about how they will skirt the law to close them, how the governor's office/SBOE/ and legislators can be manipulated into agreeing with them. This is something the commission's staff has been trained by national organizations to do-- manipulate our elected officials.

3. Don't forget the commission held a special meeting to allow the parents to "vent"; and in this meeting they passed a resolution written by staff to accept the Attorney General’s investigation recommendations (which found they violated open meeting law on several counts- read each one here). THIS DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE SORRY FOR PLOTTING TO CLOSE OUR SCHOOLS WITHOUT DUE PROCESS FOR THE SCHOOLS DISCUSSED.

4. In the testimony at the special commission meeting on April 1st, we heard from school after school that claimed the commission's staff has a hit list-- and the schools on that list have experienced their data being manipulated by commission staff in an effort to paint their school as failing-- and, there is no process to have it corrected-- even after pointing it out to the staff it is still presented to commissioners incorrectly.

5. In odd news: We would share the link to the audio/video of the special meeting but Idaho Public Television tells us the commission's staff specifically asked them not to save it on their website. We've requested the audio from the meeting and will have it on our website as soon as it is received.

Parents, we need you now more than ever. Just being present will go a long way! Hope to see you there.

Event details and link to RSVP for the events here.

Commission faces need to regain trust

Bingham County Chronicle

By FRED DAVIS fdavis@bcchron.com

BOISE – The net result of a special meeting held Thursday by the Idaho Public Charter School Commission seemed to be based upon the need to regain confidence in the commission following a breach in Idaho’s Open Meeting Law in April.

An executive session held by the commission was inadvertently recorded and then released to media outlets who made comments from that executive session public.

Some of the comments were negative and adversarial in content towards four current charter schools in Idaho.

There was a public forum portion of Thursday’s meeting that was conducted live via teleconference, that had 18 different persons speak, either in person or via phone. There were also three letters that were submitted to the record, but were not read aloud during the meeting.

Of the 18 speakers, five spoke favorably about the commission and the role it plays in the governing of charter schools in Idaho. Thirteen of the speakers were unfavorable of the role that the commission is currently playing and admonished the commission for “violation of the mission of the commission” and of having a “hit list” of schools on which they would like to revoke charters.

The commission did pass a resolution that they had violated the state’s Open Meeting Law, promising to be more diligent and constructive in their research and releasing of information to the public. That resolution was passed by a unanimous vote of the commission members.

The commission also accepted the request of the state attorney general’s office to accept training from that office on open meeting laws and correct use of executive sessions during commission meetings.

The commission was scheduled to have training on the open meeting laws on Thursday morning as part of the special meeting.

Two of the outspoken persons were representatives of the Jerome Heritage School and Bingham Academy who have been among the schools mentioned by the commission during recent meetings.

It has been reported that roughly 48 percent of the charter schools in Idaho have under-performed when compared to the rest of the schools in the state.

State Charter School Chairman: 'Mistakes were made'

SBOE PRESS RELEASE: PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL COMMISSION ACCEPTS AG RECOMMENDATIONS

The Idaho Public Charter School Commission (PCSC) today voted unanimously to accept responsibility and adopt recommendations made by the Office the of Attorney General (OAG) to remedy violations of Idaho’s Open Meeting Law that occurred during a PCSC executive session meeting held last April.

The OAG conducted an investigation as a result of complaints received after a PCSC executive session meeting was inadvertently recorded and mistakenly released in response to a public record request. 

The OAG recommended the PCSC acknowledge publicly that the executive session violated the law and to schedule and undergo OAG administered training on the Open Meeting Law in public.  That training occurred after the vote and lasted nearly two hours.

The PCSC also heard public testimony from nearly 20 charter school board members, administrators, parents, students and lobbyists.  About two-thirds were critical, many saying the Commission’s executive session discussions damaged trust that will be difficult to repair.

“This whole matter has been very difficult for everyone involved,” stated PCSC Chairman Alan Reed.  “As I said last week, mistakes were made and I hope this special meeting, the training and the opportunity folks had to speak their mind will help us all move forward to support and do what is best for our students and our charter schools.”