The Idaho House of Representatives is preparing to vote on House Bill 298, sponsored by Rep. Wendy Horman, the legislator who brought private school vouchers to Idaho. HB 298 is an attempt by the legislature to sieze control over high school graduation requirements. This unfunded mandate would create chaos within local school districts, forcing schools to comply with far-reaching changes to curriculum. Additionally, this power grab puts graduation requirements in the hands of partisan politicians, not education experts. With partisan politicians in control, graduation requirements would be impacted by special interest groups, election outcomes, and politics, regardless of the impacts on students, educators, and districts.
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SUGGESTED TALKING POINTS
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Diminished Local Control: The bill imposes a rigid, state-mandated credit structure. This top-down approach limits school districts' flexibility to design graduation pathways that best meet students' needs, especially in diverse rural areas. Instead, graduation will now be up to the Idaho Legislature and its partisan politics.
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Unfunded Mandate: The bill adds bureaucratic hurdles for districts, including tracking credit waivers, demonstrating mastery requirements, and overseeing alternative civics and government proficiency paths. These additional mandates come without explicit funding provisions, leaving districts to shoulder the cost of implementation.
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Increased Administrative Burden: Local school district administration will have to scramble to implement these new requirements, including reorganizing staff, training teachers, and reworking student schedules between the bill's implementation on July 1 and the start of the new school year. At a time when Idaho is facing a teacher shortage, this bill would foist new challenges upon already overburdened educators.
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Weakens Equity for Special Education and At-Risk Students: Although the bill allows special education students to meet graduation requirements through their Individualized Education Program (IEP), it does not provide additional accommodations for students with learning disabilities, English Language Learners, or socio-economic challenges. These rigid subject area credit requirements will increase dropout rates among these populations.