This is the year for education, “K-through-Career,” Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter said during his State of the State address Monday in Boise.
Otter opened up the 2014 Idaho Legislative Session by introducing items on the upcoming agenda including education funding, Idaho’s position on Medicaid changes, state water conservation and wolf control.
Otter said increasing the funding and quality of education across the state is his top priority. He appointed a taskforce following the 2012 rejection of Propositions 1, 2 and 3 – also known as the “Luna Laws” – to figure out how to best improve Idaho public education. Otter said he’s allocating $54.7 million for funding the recommendations from his education task force.
Members of the state legislature await Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter’s State of the State address Monday in Boise.
The taskforce recommended making the notion of “K-through-12” education obsolete, and replacing it with a focus on “K-through-Career,” to also include funding for higher education and technical programs. This will likely bolster the state’s efforts to aim for the State Board of Education’s benchmark of 60 percent of Idahoans between the ages of 25 and 34 to have a degree or professional certification by 2020.
“It is a straightforward but profound way of describing our goals for building out and maintaining a continuum of education and training opportunities,” Otter said.
Otter recommended $5 million from the state’s general fund be set aside to support the accomplishment of the SBOE’s benchmark.
“Addressing our education and workforce development needs is my top priority,” Otter said. “I’m sure some will argue that the proposals I’m putting forward today are not bold enough, not front-loaded enough or simply not enough.”
As he noted in the AP Legislative Preview held Friday, Jan. 3, Otter said he’ll be holding the line on spending in order to replenish the state’s savings funds.
Otter also announced funding allocations for two integral aspects of Idaho that have undergone much discussion in previous legislative sessions: water, wolves and wildfires. The governor announced his dedication of $15 million to increase water storage and create more stability with local water resources.
Otter also recommended the establishment of a Wolf Control Fund and state-run board to direct it. The state is willing to give a one-time amount of $2 million to begin operation, with more funds to come from other sources.
“The population is still growing, and our resources remain at risk,” Otter said of the steadily increasing number of wolf packs in Idaho.
Otter said 1 million fewer acres were burned in wildfires in 2013 than in 2012, and there was a $90 million reduction in the cost of fighting those fires.
“These proposed investments are measured, manageable and within our means,” Otter said. “My first priority is investing in what will help us achieve sustainable growth.”
Here is a full PDF of Otter’s State of the State address.
Chloe Rambo can be reached at [email protected]
Chloe Rambo will be covering the state legislature this session. Follow her on Twitter for updates and live tweets @CRchloerambo