At 7:30 a.m. yesterday at the Capitol, Mr. Bonuccelli and I start our meetings with 6 representatives to discuss funding for and requiring kindergarten, fund support for staff like aides and mental health counseling among other issues around facility maintenance and school security.
Representative Bill Goesling was our first meeting and he described the new funding formula for getting money to K-3 and 9-12 thought a 'weights' method. At midday, we met with House and Senate Chair for Education Mortimer and Clow. Both provided us with interesting and clear ideas of where the legislature is going with education. By 4 p.m. we had finished our other meetings where there was more discussion about long term education issues. We even got to talk with President Staben of the University of Idaho before he presented to the Education Committee.
The conversations were productive and very interesting!