BOISE - The Idaho State Board of Education will meet April 22 and April 23, at North Idaho College in Coeur d 'Alene.
Prior to the meetings, the State Board's Limited English Proficient (LEP) subcommittee will meet April 21 at 1 p.m., at the North Idaho College Student Union Building, Driftwood Bay Room. Agenda items include an update on the new federal flexibility guidelines for LEP students, as well as a report on federal and state fund allocations. Joe St. John, principal of Lakeside Elementary in the Plummer/Worley School District will also give a presentation on how the district helps its LEP students. Members of this committee include community members as well as State Board members Blake Hall, Rod Lewis, Paul Agidius and Dr. Marilyn Howard.
State Board meetings will be held at the NIC Student Union Building in the Lake Coeur d'Alene room. Meetings will start both days at 8 a.m. Thursday the executive session begins at 8 a.m., in the Blue Creek Room. Following the executive session, the Board will begin hearing items on the agenda. A list of agenda highlights is included below:
Dr. Angel Ramos hearing - Ramos, superintendent of the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind, has been on paid administrative leave since August 2003. The Board will hear attorney presentations pertaining to proposed personnel action.
Charter School appeals - Compass Charter School, Idaho Leadership Academy and Rolling Hills Charter School have asked the State Board to consider applications to operate a public charter school.
Compass Charter School petitioners assert they did not receive an appropriate consideration of their charter request from the Meridian School Board. The set aside of seats for founders' children is the key issue for the appeal. Idaho Leadership Academy also alleges they did not receive adequate consideration from the Idaho Falls School Board, because the district established a narrow time window for accepting appeals. The Idaho Leadership Academy submitted their application after the window and alleges that a time restriction is not permitted. The Rolling Hills Charter School also claims they did not receive appropriate consideration of their charter request from the Boise School District Board of trustees.
Under the new charter law, the State Board of Education can either approve the charter, remand it back to the local school board for further review or redirect the petition to the Charter Commission.
Direct Writing Assessment 11th Grade - The State Board denied a request to add the direct writing assessment in the 11th grade at the March meeting and instead opted to form a committee to study the issue and return results. The Board will appoint members to the committee and approve a scope of work.
Charter School Rules - The Board will be given an update on the rule for charter legislation signed by the Governor on April 1, 2004.
Idaho State University Land Purchase - Under Board policy, the Board must approve any land purchase by a university. ISU is proposing to buy land at the University Place complex in Idaho Falls from the University of Idaho Foundation. Currently, ISU owns the 30,000 square foot Samuel H. Bennion Building, but the U of I Foundation owns the land where the building sits. Under the proposal, ISU would purchase 26 acres of land that includes the Bennion Building site and the Fred H. Tingey Administration Building. If the sale is completed, the University of Idaho would rent space from ISU. No program changes are expected at either institution because of the land transaction.
Idaho Water Center Lease - The University of Idaho is requesting to proceed with a sublease of 4,250 square feet on the first floor of the Idaho Water Center in Boise.
A full agenda, as well as additional details on each item, can be found at http://www.idahoboardofed.org/meetings/2004/4_22_04/Index.asp
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