The GOP is making a concerted effort to undermine public education in the current legislative session. For example, SB 1038 which was recently blocked by a Senate vote, would have diverted public dollars away from public education and students to subsidize private and religious schools with ZERO oversight or accountability. Now, a new threat is looming with HB171 which would amend existing law regarding school board trustee elections.
Rep. Joe Alfieri, a member of the House State Affairs Committee, is the sponsor of HB171. If passed, school trustees would serve two-year terms, down from their current four-year terms. In addition, trustees would have to declare a party affiliation or their unaffiliated status. And finally, the trustee elections would be moved to coincide with November General Elections on even-numbered years.
To help us unpack the bill, we have invited Idaho Representative Sonia Galaviz to join us at the Dem Club. As a current elementary school teacher with a PhD in education, she is highly qualified to assess the implications. For now, her availability is tentative. It will depend on what is happening during the legislative session. Hopefully, she will have time to join us.
Join us Friday, at noon online for a look at this attempt to further politicize trustee elections.
ABOUT OUR MEETINGS
The Democrat Club meets each Friday at noon online. We distribute a Zoom link for our club meetings each Thursday prior to the meeting date. Contact Phil at pjwmia@aol.com or Ruben at pjwmia@aol.com, to request the link or assistance connecting. We will return to in person/online meetings as soon as it becomes safe to do so. You can find videos of past Club meetings at KootenaiCountyDemClub.com/Meeting Videos.
About Representative Soñia R. Galaviz
Soñia is the daughter of Mexican immigrants. She was born and raised in Idaho’s Silver Valley region. She earned a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and EdD in curriculum and instruction from Boise State University. Currently, Galaviz is a teacher at Garfield Elementary School in Boise. She was elected to the Idaho House of Representatives in November 2022 and assumed office on December 1, 2022.
