Washington school test scores continue to be sluggish
School may seem like it’s returned to normal after all the closures and disruptions of the pandemic — but that’s not the case for student achievement in Washington state.
Results from the latest National Assessment of Education Progress – known as the “nation’s report card” – came out this week.
Washington’s scores show fourth and eighth graders haven’t recovered from math and reading backslides in 2022.
It also reveals achievement gaps are widening – especially in math.
“The kids that struggled are struggling more …Given what we know about the connections between student achievement and later life outcomes, this means that there are a lot of kids who are going to have diminished potential for college and the workforce," said Dan Goldhaber, who leads the Center for Education Data and Research at the University of Washington.
Federal officials say the gap between the highest- and lowest-performing students across the nation is the widest it’s ever been in the history of the test.
Goldhaber says that could have devastating impacts for decades to come.
"I think it portends greater social inequality when we are thinking about issues like wages. I look at these results and I’m like 'ugh, this is bad now — but it’s really bad for the future,'" he said.
Spokane legislator looks to increase punishment for referee bashers
A Spokane Valley state legislator is pushing to stiffen the penalties against those who intimidate and harm employees working at sporting events.
A bill has been on the books in Washington for years, spurred by a 1996 incident in which a high school wrestler head-butted Spokane referee Robert West, causing long-lasting health problems.
Republican Suzanne Schmidt’s bill would increase penalties for offenders from six months to a year in jail, double the current $500 fines and allow schools to ban violators for up to a year-and-a-half.
Several people who testified before a House committee this week say the changes are needed to save youth sporting leagues.
“This issue is having a tangible impact on our sports programs. We’re facing officiating shortages and many of our referees are retiring and younger officials are having to carry that burden. If we don’t take action, we’re risking limiting sports opportunities for our children," said former Spokane Valley City Councilwoman Brandi Peetz.
A similar bill sailed through the House by unanimous vote last year, but never received a hearing in the Senate.
ID's public defense office needs more lawyers — which means more money
Idaho’s state office of public defense says it needs more money to fill dozens of attorney vacancies.
The budget request comes as the office is struggling to represent indigent clients.
State Public Defender Eric Fredericksen is asking lawmakers for $17 million to add 18 new lawyers to his staff next fiscal year and to increase wages. That’s in addition to another $5.4 million to contract with attorneys in rural counties right now.
"We just need this additional bump to adjust salaries throughout the state, make sure we have contractors in our rural counties and really make the entire system uniform," Fredericksen said.
Fredericksen’s office is at the center of a lawsuit by the ACLU of Idaho, which alleges hundreds, if not thousands, of indigent defendants are being left in jail cells for weeks without a lawyer appointed to them.
That case is still working its way through the Idaho Supreme Court system. Legislators will vote on Fredericksen’s budget later this year.
Mask mandates could become a no-no in Idaho
The Idaho House has approved a bill that forbids the state or local governments from requiring people to wear masks to stop the spread of contagious disease.
The vote was 52-16 for the bill sponsored in the House by Boise Republican Todd Beiswenger.
“They will not be able to throw people in jail or impose fines, but they still will be able to advise, recommend, suggest. I mean, heck, they could even beg us to wear a mask if they feel that’s the best method here. But they will be restricted here," he said.
Several Republicans, including Pocatello Republican Rick Cheatum, crossed the aisle to vote with Democrats.
“I think putting a pre-emption like this in place, that doesn’t allow local officials to take action when it may be necessary or be recommended by the local health department for something that may happen in their community, is not the right way to handle a local problem," he said during debate on the House floor.
Cheatum referenced the current tuberculosis outbreak that has sickened dozens in the Kansas City area.
The bill now goes to the Senate, which has in recent years, not acted on mask mandate bills approved in the House.
Idaho legislators propose more hurdles for initiative campaigns
Two legislators, including one from Coeur d’Alene, have introduced bills targeting Idaho's citizen initiative process.
A bill by Kootenai County Republican Sen. Doug Okuniewicz would change the Idaho constitution to require initiative sponsors to collect a minimum number of signatures from all of the state’s 35 legislative districts. The current rules require signatures from 18 districts.
The second bill, proposed by Republican Rep. Bruce Skaug, would allow the governor to veto an initiative if voters approve it.
"We have to go to the Senate to get things approved, the Senate has to come to us to get things approved, and then it’s presented to the governor for a veto or signature," Skaug said. "The initiative process should be the same."
Luke Mayville from the group Reclaim Idaho, which has sponsored at least two initiatives that qualified for the ballot, calls the legislation another aggressive attack by legislators on the ability of citizens to govern themselves.
Reporting contributed by Sami West, Doug Nadvornick and James Dawson.