The problem, some say, is in the scholarships themselves.  If a student graduates one year earlier than normal, it is believed he will save the state about $5,000 by doing so.  Once the early graduation is complete, the student is awarded one-third of the statewide amount it costs the state to educate a child each year, or about $1,600.  Those scholarships, however, can only be used at publicly-funded colleges and universities in the state, meaning that several institutions of higher education – and their students – are left out in the cold.

Thayn says the issue has already been discussed among education officials in the state.  ”It’s one of the top complaints we’ve received,” said Thayn.   The move to exclude non-state schools was not meant to slight student who wish to attend the state’s two religion-sponsored schools, he said, but rather was a move of political expediency.  ”Sometimes, to get legislation passed, you have to anger as few people as possible,” Thayn explained.  ”I don’t see a big problem with it, but I’m sure we’ll address it in the future.”  He plans to introduce some tweaks to the early graduation program in the 2011 legislative session, but a fix to include religious-based schools in the program isn’t one of them.

Many of the scholarship offered by the state apply only to state-funded colleges or universities, but there are key differences between those and the early graduation scholarship program.  Several scholarships offered by the state go to students who meet certain academic criteria, or come from low-income or economically disadvantaged backgrounds, but not all students qualify.  One commonly-known financial award given by the state is the Robert R. Lee scholarship, which is divided into two parts based on the academic achievement of students who graduate from high schools in Idaho.  Under the Lee award, students who score well on standardized tests while earning a 3.5 grade point average or higher qualify for $3,000 per school year that can be used at state colleges or universities under the eye of the Idaho State Board of Education, which mean students who qualify for this scholarship must use it at a state-funded school.

Students who earn a 3.0 grade point average or score higher than a 20 on the ACT can earn $300 per semester, up to four semesters, under the second portion of the Lee scholarship.  The difference in the second portion of the Lee award is that students who wish to attend state-funded schools or private colleges or universities can have their pick.  Brigham Young University-Idaho (BYU-I), an institution operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), the College of Idaho, a private, liberal arts school with no religious affiliation, and Northwest Nazarene University, sponsored by the Church of the Nazarene, are all listed as participants in the Robert R. Lee Part B scholarship program.

The difference with the early graduation program is who can qualify to earn scholarships.  The bill written by Thayn, along with Rep. Branden Durst, D-Boise, who also helped to construct the pilot project, doesn’t require students to maintain a certain grade point average or earn a certain standardized test score, but it does require that end-of-course assessments used by students to test out of classes be passed with an 85 percent score of higher.  That means that if the project is eventually implemented on a statewide basis, all students in Idaho could test out of classes and graduate early and earn scholarship dollars.

Andy Cargal, a spokesman for BYU-I, said that the university would be open to changes that would allow students of the LDS faith in Idaho to use early graduation scholarships at the school.  ”If the state were to change its mind and also offer grants to students who wish to attend a private university, such as Brigham Young University-Idaho, we would welcome that,” said Cargal, sharing the school’s official stance.

Jonathan Parker, executive director for the Idaho Republican Party, said that he believes that the already-large majorities Republicans hold in the Idaho House and Senate will expand this fall.  “I feel good that we are going to pick up seats in the fall,” said Parker.  “We got to re-elect the governor and all the constitutional officers … but I think we’ve done a pretty good job of recruiting candidates to run and we really do feel optimistic.” Parker refused to say exactly how many seats he expects the Idaho GOP to pick up in the fall.  Republicans control 52 of the 70 seats in the Idaho House and 28 of the 35 seats in the Senate.

Parker, a former aide to Congressman Bill Sali, said that the Idaho Republican Party has a victory plan in place, which has the blessing of leaders in the state Senate.  Parker wouldn’t reveal the details of the plan, but did say that the party will be making direct contributions to candidates in hotly-contested races.  Direct contributions will go to Republicans challenging legislative incumbent Democrats, but some Republican incumbents, facing strong challenges from the opposition party, will also see Idaho GOP money.  Parker said that party also plans to make independent expenditures for some candidates, but again, wouldn’t disclose which candidates might be on the receiving end of that support.  Only two Democrats in the Idaho Legislature – Rep. John Rusche, D-Lewiston, and Rep. Wendy Jaquet, – aren’t facing Republican challengers in the fall.

Jim Hansen, director for the Idaho Democratic Party, said that though his party is supporting its candidates wholeheartedly, adding that something else will help Democrats gain leverage in the fall – history.  “Cuts to public schools enacted by Republicans have devastated education in Idaho,” Hansen explained.  “The smaller the town, the more pain folks are feeling from education cuts.”  Democrats in the state have been working hard to meet people, Hansen said, and inform voters that they do have alternatives to Republicans at the ballot boxes in November.  “Our candidates are working very hard,” said Hansen.  “Education and the state of the economy are the top two issues in the minds of the people.”

Many pundits in the national media believe there exists an anti-Democratic sentiment sweeping through voters in 2010, a notion Hansen shirked.  “I don’t think it’s anti-Democrat or anti-Republican, but rather anti-incumbent,” he said.  “You are going to see some change because I think people realize Democrats are the ones who fight for public schools.”  When asked if he thought Democrats would make gains in the Idaho Legislature, Hansen believes a few surprises are likely in-store for election day and that Democrats are poised to pick up a few seat that have been traditionally Republican in the past.  He did not specify which seats might be up for grabs.

Several bloggers in the state have pinned Rep. Branden Durst’s, D-Boise, run for the Senate as one of the top races to watch this fall.  Hansen said that because of Durst’s work ethic, he is likely to pick up the win against Republican challenger Mitch Toryanski in District 18.   “He (Durst) has a connection with voters in his district,” said Hansen.  “It’s quite impressive.” Voters in that district, which has sent Durst to the Idaho House in two straight elections, Hansen believes, will tie Toryanski, even though he is new to the political scene, to the anti-education agenda of Republicans in the state. “They are very distrustful of what Republicans have done to public schools … I think he’s (Durst) going to win, no matter what his opponent says.”

The program, the brainchild of Rep. Branden Durst, D-Boise, and Rep. Steve Thayn, R-Emmett, successfully won the approval of the Idaho Legislature in 2010. Durst and Thayn worked within their own parties to convince fellow legislators that the radical plan would actually save money for the state in the long run.

The program, when it launches in January of 2011, will permit students to test out of classes beginning in kindergarten.  Younger students will have skills-based assessments, while older students will have to pass knowledge-based exams.  Students can use other methods, including summer school and online classes to get ahead in school work.  Those pupils who graduate early will be award a state-funded scholarship to be used in state public schools worth approximately $1,600 for each year they trim off their public education.  That figure is about one-third of the cost the state pays to educate one student.  The district will also be encouraged to participate and further student achievement because it will receive $1,600 for each year the student is not in public schools.  The state will retain the other one-third and those dollars will be returned to the general fund on an annual basis.

The Idaho Department of Education posted the application for the program on its website July 15.  Officials with the department say that though they have seen interest in the program, they are unsure how many schools districts will want to participate in the experimental project.  Thayn and Durst did cap the number of schools districts allowed in the test run.  Only 21 school districts, divided into three classifications, ranging from small to large, will be allowed into the program.  Three charter schools will also be accepted.

Thayn said that superintendents around the state are showing enough interest in the program.  “Comments have been pretty positive,” Thayn said. He predicted that all 21 slots will be full when the program begins next year and said that many districts have already promised to apply for the program, including districts in Boise, New Plymouth, and Emmett.

School districts have until Dec. 1 to turn in applications.  At that point, department officials will decide which districts will be allowed into the six-year project.  When filling out the applications, district officials must agree to participate for the entire six years.

Durst, writing on his blog Thursday, said that because IPCSC board members are selected by the governor and appointed to the post, they may be beholden to the state’s chief executive.  “Due to the politically connectedness to the governor, commissioners (if political science research is any indication) are likely to side with what is in the best interest of the governor, not necessarily what is in the best interest of the institutions (the individual school or the commission itself),” writes Durst.

Additionally, notes Durst, board members are free to make decisions that affect taxpayers and their children without having any accountability to the general public.  “Due to the fact that individual commission members are not personally accountable to those that fund their activities (the taxpayers), there is no oversight to their actions,” he believes.

The commission has been in the news as of late due to its disciplinary action imposed on the Nampa Classical Academy, a charter school based in the heart of Canyon County that made news itself last year when it tried to use the Bible as a historical text in classrooms.  The IPCSC yanked the school’s charter in June for alleged sloppy mismanagement of school finances.  School officials say they’ve been treated unfairly and targeted because of their desire to use the Bible in its curriculum.  The school has appealed the decision of the commission to the Idaho State Board of Education, which is in the process of issuing the final ruling.

What would be a better format for selecting board members?  Durst thinks the public itself should choose.   Here’s the structure Durst would like to see outlined in his blog post:

I would first eliminate the gubernatorial appointment and replace it with an election. Commissioners would serve four and two year terms that would rotate so as to always have a core group remain (similar to the way county commissioners are elected). The commissioners would be elected from conglomerations of counties known as regions that are created based upon population size. As for the appeals process, that is a bit more tricky. I would prefer to have the SBE also be elected and for the same reasons. Given that is even less likely to happen, I would also remove the appeals process from going to the SBE and instead direct it the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

To make the change, Durst would likely have to run legislation through the House and Senate education panels.  One member of the House Education Committee, Rep. Marge Chadderdon, R-Coeur D’Alene, said she isn’t sure why Durst is pressing for a reform of the commission.  “I think the present way has been working,” said Chadderdon Monday.  “I would have to see and hear reasons why a change should be made.”  When asked if commission members might be loyal to the interests of the governor when making decisions, Chadderdon said that she doesn’t believe that happens.  “I feel that most people that serve on the commission take it quite seriously,” she concluded.

Durst knows his idea wouldn’t solve all the problems in the charter school oversight process, but he feels it would be a good first step.  “I do believe it would yield better outcomes and provide more transparency and accountability than the current guarded process that we are watching slowly unfold before us,” said Durst.

Hart is being investigated after a writer from the Spokesman Review revealed that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has filed more than $300,000 in liens against the north Idaho lawmaker.  The panel, with its initial meet-up slated for Tuesday, will look into whether Hart has violated House ethics rules in the situation.  Reports have surfaced that Hart used a loophole in state law – a provision which prevents Idaho lawmakers from being arrested or served during legislation session – to avoid IRS inquiry into his finances many times, including his first year in the Idaho House in 2006.

The controversy started with a post on Durst’s blog penned by the Boise lawmaker last week.  Durst criticized almost every aspect of the Republican makeup of the panel, including the geographic, professional, and political leanings of majority members.  Durst said that because each Republican member of the panel served as committee chairman during the 2010 legislative, it could lead to a highly partisan decision when the final judgment is rendered on Hart.   “This is significant because it means that all of the majority members on the panel are fiercely loyal to the Speaker. I am not saying this is going to have an impact, but I do believe it is worth noting,” wrote Durst, who is looking to jump from the House to the Senate in November.

Denney thinks Durst should check with House rules before releasing critical comments.  ”I want to set the record straight,” said Denney.  ”House rules dictate that I must choose from committee chairmen.”  Durst said the professional makeup of the panel, consisting of three ranchers or farmers, was also a concern.  He said that Denney should have looked to Republicans Leon Smith, R-Twin Falls, or Lynn Luker, R-Boise, to serve because of their past work experience in the legal fields.  Denney pointed to the House rule that prevented those two men from serving.  ”While Smith and Luker would have been very good choices, neither is a committee chairman.”

In fact, Denney is bound by House Rule 76, which states that “The majority party members of the committee shall be selected from among the chairmen of committees of reference of the House.”  There is no designated formula on how Denney was supposed to select three Democrats to serve, except that the speaker must take recommendations from the minority leader.  Denney, however, can choose to ignore those suggestions and go his own way.  House rules only dictate that thespeaker should select “from among the members of the House who are senior in service and experience.”  Denney tapped Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, to serve as vice chairman for the panel.  Jaquet is one of the most-tenured Democrats in the House, having served since 1994.  Joining Jaquet are Reps. Bill Killen, D-Boise, and George Sayler, D-Coeur d’Alene, who have served since 2007 and 2002, respectively.

Denney explained that of the chairmen available to serve – there are 14 – the four he chose – Reps. Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, Rich Wills, R-Glenns Ferry, Dell Raybould, R-Rexburg, and Bert Stevenson, R-Rupert – were the ones who were willing to take on the task of investigating Hart.   Denney commended the four men, saying that they will be fair to Hart, and are four chairmen who are “good, respected, and experienced legislators.”

Delegates began work on the platform Friday in an open committee meeting. Changes made by committee members were presented to the body as a whole Saturday afternoon. Initially, convention-goers were given the choice to accept all the changes or none of them, which didn’t sit well with some who were uncomfortable with some of the alterations. One delegate suggested that they scuttle the 2010 platform and re-adopt the 2008 to use in upcoming years. That move drew the ire of the majority of delegates, including state Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, who said he wanted the call for the repeal of the 17th Amendment to be in the party’s ideals going forward. “This is too valuable to forget about,” said Nielsen, who argued that repealing the amendment would give state’s greater oversight of the federal government.

The amendment gave the general electorate the right to select U.S. senators, a power previously held by the state legislatures. Proponents of repeal, including many gathered at the GOP convention, believe that making senators accountable to state legislatures would end runaway federal spending and give states a say in the affairs of the federal government. Opponents of repeal say that it would put a layer of government and bureaucracy in between the people and their senators. Delegates approved adding the call for repeal to the platform despite opposition.

Going forward, Republican candidates on all levels – local, state, and national – may also see a loyalty oath when they declare their candidacy.  Delegates agreed to adopt the change, engineered by GOP insider Rod Beck, which requires that candidates promise to serve according the other principles of the platform.  If candidates decide they cannot live by all ideals in the platform, they are allowed to send the party chairman a list of which planks they disagree with and why the feel that way.  The chairman would then publish the list of who agreed to the whole platform and the list of who had exceptions with parts of it.  One state lawmaker is uncomfortable with the pledge.  Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, said that the requirement to publish areas where Republicans disagree with the party is a bad practice.  ”Should I be in that position, it would give my Democratic opponent tremendous fodder to go against me in my campaign,” Bell said.

Part of the loyalty pledge requires candidates to swear that they are affiliated with no other parties or candidates.  In the same meeting during which delegates approved the loyalty oath, they also voted to condemn Ada County commissioner candidate Vern Bisterfeldt, who openly admits to support some Democrat candidates, including Congressman Walt Minnick and state Rep. Branden Durst, for whose campaign Bisterfeldt serves as treasurer.  The majority of delegates voted to support the state party sending a letter to Bisterfeldt asking him to withdraw from the race, but some convention-goers were uncomfortable with the move.  ”This is an Ada County issue and it should be handled there,” argued one delegate.  ”This may be a ‘big tent’ party, but last time I checked, a tent still has an inside and an outside,” said one delegate in favor of condemning Bisterfeldt.

Delegates approved several more changes to the platform, including one that opposes a federal health care rule that mandates that citizens of the United States purchase private health insurance as a requirement to live in the country.  Other measures included language that urges party members and candidates to promote government transparency.

(Disclosure: The author of this article had two relatives vote on the final version of the platform.)

When social media first came around in the form of MySpace and Facebook, it was seen as a way for teens to keep in touch, discuss social trends and music, and post pictures of their life happenings on the Internet through a very easy to use format.  Each social media tool, including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and blogs, has evolved since its original creation and has expanded its functionality to meet the needs of it users.  Idaho state legislators have taken notice and are beginning to utilize social media websites in greater number, though some lawmakers don’t fit what many believe to be the mold of a typical social media user.

Several lawmakers have blogs, Twitter accounts, and Facebook fan pages to help spread their messages to a diverse and varied audience.  During the 2010 session, Rep. Branden Durst, R-Meridian, tweeted (meaning he sent messages through Twitter) before, and sometimes throughout the course of, committee meetings and House floor sessions.  He delivered messages to followers about specific issues or pieces of legislation that lawmakers considered each day.  On his campaign website, Durst uses a YouTube video to explain his candidacy for the state Senate, as well as ask for donations and encourage those interested in his Senate run to contact him through social media outlets.  It is important to note that Durst, in his 30’s, is the youngest member of the Idaho Legislature and fits within the 18-54-year-old demographic that makes up more than 75 percent of all Facebook users.

Durst told IdahoReporter.com that he sees blogging as a way to reach a certain audience.  ”You have to meet people where they’re at,” said Durst, who feels that social media offerings by legislators should complement town halls and face-to-face contact, not replace them.   He predicts that in the future, social media offerings will again evolve to a point where legislators will be able to offer town hall-type meetings over the Internet through messaging services like Skype or MSN Messenger.  Durst believes this evolution will come as a result of greater digital understanding by the youngest voting demographic.  ”People in younger generations recognize that there are different ways to do things and we aren’t afraid to try new things,” he said.

The use of social media is not strictly for younger lawmakers anymore.  A member of the older makeup of the Legislature, Rep. Steve Thayn, R-Emmett, authors a blog of his own, with mixed results.  Thayn said that his blog allows him to go more in-depth on issues than he can on Facebook.  Thayn, though he has a personal Facebook page and a fan page, said the social media site is often too superficial and confrontational to promote deep political discussion.

So has the use of his blog or Facebook helped him become closer and more connected to constituents?  Not really, said Thayn, who added that the use of social media has become so prevalent that it he feels it difficult to cut through everyone else’s messages to share his own.   “It’s increased my exposure a little bit,” he said, noting that his blog has 16 or 17 regular followers.  He said that he has no interest in using Twitter because he doesn’t understand how to use it.

State Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, like Thayn, has a blog, a personal Facebook page, and a campaign Facebook fan page.  Hagedorn’s blog, unlike Thayn’s, gets little use by the representative and has not been updated in more than a year.  Hagedorn said that he ditched the blog in favor of Facebook because of its ease of use and versatility.  He said that Facebook allows him to relay information to constituents without requiring them to open an email or go to a certain website.

“I think it’s a great way to put the information out in short bursts that don’t really bother people,” said Hagedorn.   “They don’t have to take action to open or delete an e-mail; just read it or not and comment if they feel they need to.”

Ron Baker, president and CEO of Ecliptic Marketing and Consulting, an Idaho Falls-based company which advises legislators on utilization of social media tools, said that many state lawmakers have begun using Facebook because it reaches a wide array of the citizenry.  He said that of all the offerings of social media, Facebook is the most popular among legislators because of its ease of use.  He noted that many lawmakers shy away from using Twitter because they have a perception that it is more difficult to use than Facebook.

Reports indicate those 55 and older are beginning to use Facebook at greater levels.  According to research, use of Facebook by the 55 and older crowd increased 922 percent between January 2009 and January 2010.  During that time, almost 9 million people older than 55 began using the social media giant.  What does that mean from local lawmakers?  Baker believes it indicates that social media is now a necessary tool to reach out to all segments of the voting public. “They need to be a part of it,” he said.  ”It is a very large communication tool that ought to be taken advantage of in campaigns.”

The program, known as the Mastery Advancement Placement Program, or MAPP, is the brainchild of Reps. Steve Thayn, R-Emmett, and Branden Durst, D-Boise.  The pair of lawmakers believe that through MAPP, the state will be able to innovate its way into savings for education. MAPP is a six-year pilot program and will only affect districts that apply to take part. Districts must apply for the program by Sept. 1, 2010, and the department will notify districts selected to participate by Dec. 31, 2010.

The program is a first-of-its-kind in Idaho and Thayn and Durst believe it will encourage students and families to become more involved in the education process.  Under the guidelines of the program, the department, in coordination with local school officials and teachers, is to develop exams that could be used to measure students’ aptitude.  For grades K-6, tests would be skill-based and students in grades 7-12 would face knowledge-based exams.  If students complete the exams successfully, they would be allowed to move to the next grade (for K-6 students), or to a higher course level (for grades 7-12).

If students move through work and exams quickly and graduate early, they would receive a portion of what the state would have paid to educate them their senior year in the form of a scholarship.  Thayn estimates the scholarship could be worth as much as $1,600 for each school year graduated early, though costs could vary from district to district.  Students would only be allowed to graduate up to three years early.

Following the legislative session, IdahoReporter.com interviewed Thayn about MAPP and the work he will do to develop program specifics.

Thayn said that he is in the processing of writing rules and guidelines of the program, which he expects to take a few weeks. Upon completion, he will submit the rules to the department, which will revise them into a finished product that will be used by districts to administer the program. Thayn is also working to recruit school districts and charter schools for the six-year program. Districts, if selected to participate, are expected to continue the program through its end.

Durst also spoke with IdahoReporter.com about the program and what it will take for students and families to succeed in it.

Those critical of the program have said that they worry about 16-year-olds graduating high school and leaving for college before they are socially ready. Both lawmakers said that the point of the program is not to enable teens to leave home early, but rather to allow those who participate in the program to take college classes in high schools, a program called concurrent enrollment, which is already being done at most high schools throughout the state.

Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, said he’s not surprised by the closures.  “You hate to see people laid off and you hate to see offices close,” he told IdahoReporter.com.  “At the same time, with the budget situation we’re in, it’s understandable.”  The closures are expected to save DHW $7 million in the next budget, which begins in July.  Cameron said he understands why the Rupert DHW office is targeted for closure.  People from Rupert would need to go to a DHW office in Burley, which is a 10 minute drive.

On his blog, Rep. Branden Durst, D-Boise, called the DHW layoffs the tip of the iceberg for budget impacts.  “The Department of Health and Welfare is only the beginning,” he said.  “In future weeks, other agencies will face the budgetary reality that our nearsighted governor and majority leadership placed upon them and make similar cuts to services and jobs.”

Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, said DHW’s decision made sense, though there were other options.  “I understand that they’ve got to tighten up and do what they have to do,” she said.  “I had been so hopeful that they’d use furloughs and not layoffs for workers.”  A DHW official said the department has used furloughs, which are unpaid time off for state employees, to deal with holdbacks in the current budget, but that layoffs and closures are a permanent solution to permanent state spending cuts.  Bell said laying off DHW employees could end up adding to the number of people going to DHW for services like food stamps.

Other big spending areas of state tax dollars including public schools, universities, and prisons, are unlikely to see closures, but layoffs remain a possibility.  Cameron said one area where closures could occur is in agricultural research stations across the state.  “This last budget cycle, we’ve started to see the effects on ag research and extension offices,” he said.  “We’ve had the closure of a few offices last year.”  Cameron said that while lawmakers approved the reductions in the budget, agencies have flexibility to decide how to meet a smaller bottom line.  “Every agency is dealing with those reductions differently.  Some are able to handle it with furloughing and some can’t furlough as well.”

Durst told IdahoReporter.com in a video interview Tuesday that he will go right to work to recruit school districts to participate in the program and that he fully expects the program to be successful in the long run.  He also shared his thoughts on the high and low points of the 2010 legislative session, including his most and least favorite pieces of legislation.

The other author of the early graduation plan, Rep. Steve Thayn, R-Emmett, talked with IdahoReporter.com about the final passage of the legislation and what he will do to aid in developing the program. See what he had to say here.