"A fiasco over testing Idaho's ninth-grade students that caused a $1.4 million 2008 budget deficit at the State Board of Education is just the most recent crisis of the agency's own making."
Idaho Business Review Article
The house of cards that is the Idaho State Board of Education has collapsed. Many years of mismanagement have finally caught up. The most recent fiasco was caused by Karen McGee who authorized a payment to the state's public school testing company when no funds had been allocated. Governor Otter rescued her before she could be held accountable by providing her with a welfare position. Now that the dust has settled and Karen has made her escape the legislature is looking for a scapegoat.
The Legislature should look no further then the house education committee to properly place the blame. For years the Idaho Legislature has provided little or no oversight and looked the other way as millions of dollars have been wasted. The Idaho State Board of Education has served as a playground for overpaid cronies with little or no education experience for far too long. Why not dissolve the State Board of Education? It appears to do more harm than good.
If we must continue this facade that is the Idaho State Board of Education could we at least give them no money and no authority to spend money that does not exist.
