Panel fields education standards questions

BOISE — The 40-plus questions fielded Wednesday by a six-member panel on the controversial Idaho Core Standards “were OK,” Rep. Ron Mendive said.

State lawmakers including Mendive observed the more than two hours of proceedings that included public schools superintendent Tom Luna as one of six panelists answering citizen questions.

Overall, Mendive said that  he was impressed with the panel meeting at a joint session of the Idaho House and Senate Education Committees.

“I thought the questions were OK, and I thought the quality of the panel was tremendous — I thought they did a great job,” said Mendive, a Coeur d’Alene Republican and House Education Committee member.

“I thought that both sides were well-represented.”

He added: “I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was good … I thought both sides were able to make their point.”

Mendive, a freshman lawmaker, said that he still has concerns about the Idaho Core Standards.

“Not many people, especially in the Legislature knew that much about Common Core when it was implemented,” Mendive said. “It was before I got here. But now is a good time to reflect and see if it’s something we really want to do — if it will help the children.”

Members of the Legislature’s education committees approved the Idaho Core Standards in 2011.

The Wednesday panel, split evenly between opponents and those favoring the Idaho Core Standards, fielded questions such as “Were teachers involved in the creation of the standards?” and “What role, if any, did the U.N. have in the development of the Common Core Standards?” among many others.

Panelist Stephanie Zimmerman said: “It doesn’t matter if the U.N. is involved or not. We need to deal with this at home.”

Although Idaho’s standards are known as Idaho Core Standards, they are often termed Common Core.

Panelists’ answers varied widely, including a response from Dorothy Moon of Challis — a member of the Custer County Tea Party — who said, “So, while it may not have seemed to have started with that intention, it is definitely a program of the federal government,” with “a lot of problems.”

Luna said that none of the 45 states that have adopted the so-called Core Standards have yet repealed them. Other panelists said that some states had repealed Common Core.

“No state has done that yet,” Luna said. “I will tell you that Idaho is one of those states where, because a member or two of the Legislature asked a question, or writes an article or whatever, then it’s broadcasted all over the country that Idaho’s gonna leave Common Core.”