Lawmakers seek control over university president hires

A proposal to make college and university presidents subject to Senate confirmation is going back to the drawing board.

After some spirited discussion and an on-the-fly attempt at editing, the House Education Committee returned the bill to its sponsor, committee chair Rep. Douglas Pickett.

The bill would apply to presidents at the state’s four-year schools: the University of Idaho, Boise State University, Idaho State University and Lewis-Clark State College. And Pickett, R-Oakley, said the confirmation process would apply only to new hires, not the current presidents.

“I think the intent is to move forward from this point on,” Pickett said.

The idea ran into trouble almost immediately — and from across the political spectrum.

Rep. Barbara Ehardt, a conservative Republican, questioned how the confirmation process would work. If the State Board of Education hires a president in the summer, months before the legislative session, the Senate confirmation process could be either a “show” or a “distraction.”

Rep. Jack Nelsen, R-Jerome, said the bill could leave a president answering to two bosses: the State Board that makes the initial hire, and the Legislature that gives the hire its final blessing. “This isn’t going to attract excellent, high-quality people to apply for a job.”

Rep. Chris Mathias, D-Boise, said the bill would set a dangerous and potentially costly precedent, opening a new class of hires to legislative review. “I have concerns about cracking open the confirmation process for people who are not appointed by the governor.”

Mathias also raised a technical concern. As written, the bill would have applied to “a president employed on or before July 1,” meaning the current college and university presidents. Mathias proposed amending the wording, with Pickett’s approval.

But before that could happen, the committee voted to return the bill to its sponsors, Pickett and Rep. Josh Tanner, R-Eagle. That gives the lawmakers a chance to bring back the bill — in original or rewritten form.

Minutes after the House Education Committee rejected the university presidents’ bill, Rep. Douglas Pickett had better success the second time.

The committee introduced a bill that would require college and university Title IX officers to answer directly to the presidents.

Title IX is a landmark 1972 federal education law, banning discrimination based on sex. The far-reaching law covers intercollegiate athletics, but not just athletics.

The committee voted unanimously to introduce the bill, setting the stage for a full hearing at a later date.

This bill is also co-sponsored by Pickett, R-Oakley, and Rep. Josh Tanner, R-Eagle.

A Senate version of a private school choice bill appears to have little chance of passing in the House.

During a Tuesday afternoon news conference, House Republican leaders threw cold water on a $50 million proposal that the Senate Education Committee narrowly passed Monday evening.

Senate Education Committee Chairman Dave Lent’s bill, now headed to the Senate floor, would expand the Empowering Parents education microgrant program from $30 million to $50 million, and allow parents to use the money for private school tuition.

On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Jason Monks pushed for his version of private school choice — a $50 million tax credit program, which is on the House Revenue and Taxation Committee’s agenda for Wednesday. Monks said the tax credit would be versatile — covering anything from a microschool to a homeschool family’s costs for curricular materials.

“It’s the fairest way of doing it,” said Monks, R-Meridian. “It’s the least bureaucratic way of doing it. It keeps the (Idaho) Department of Education out of the mix.”

The tax credit bill has a bicameral list of sponsors — including Rep. Wendy Horman and Sen. C. Scott Grow, co-chairs of the budget-writing Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee; and Senate Majority Leader Lori Den Hartog.

Siding with Monks, House Speaker Mike Moyle couched the Empowering Parents bill and the private school tax credit bill as an either-or.

“They’re competing,” said Moyle, R-Star. “They handle things in a different manner.”

On another topic, Moyle expressed skepticism about a bill to create a $50 million rural school facilities grant program.

House Bill 75 was introduced last week, but Moyle held it rather than assigning it to a committee, as is standard. He assigned it to the House Education Committee Tuesday.

The bill would combine money from two funds into one, and allow rural schools to use this money to help pay for building projects.

Moyle told reporters he favored a different approach. He prefers a revolving loan fund that would connect with the property tax cuts, engineered by Moyle, which passed in 2023 and 2024.

“We’re trying to make it tie into the property tax relief side … so that it’s the gift that keeps giving.”

A state official and a pair of career-technical education students touted the positive impacts of CTE and student-led groups during the Senate Education Committee’s meeting Tuesday.

State Board of Education executive director Joshua Whitworth told lawmakers that CTE enrollment has grown 49% the last four years. Today, 72,000 high school students, or 71% of all high school students, are enrolled in a CTE course.

These courses are meant to help students apply learned skills outside the classroom, Whitworth said. “Seeing such a large growth in our CTE courses … means that you’re seeing that balance and connection of actual skills to the educational side.”

Idaho also hosts a range of career-technical student organizations — geared toward agriculture, business, technology, health care and other professions — and two students touted their leadership experiences through the student-led groups.

Emily Davis, president-elect of Idaho HOSA Future Health Professionals and a student at Meridian Medical Arts Charter High School, said she hopes to become a physician and the career-technical student organization “opened a world of possibilities.”

“It offered me a wide range of skills and concepts I could learn about, from dentistry to photography. It was overwhelming at first, but soon I discovered countless other aspects of medicine I hadn’t even thought of.”

Aidan Panicacci, president of the Technology Student Association and an Owyhee High School student, said he joined the CTE student organization to follow his “passion for engineering and a competitive spirit.” Panicacci said he qualified for a national essay-writing contest, through which he gained “invaluable” experience meeting people and visiting new places.

“These experiences are far more than just assignments. They’re opportunities for growth, learning and self discovery. No textbook can replicate the knowledge gained from competing alongside friends, pushing one another to excel and achieving a common vision.”