"Is Idaho Going The Way of Kansas?"

TO:  Evolutionists Everywhere
FROM:  Gary L. Bennett

As predicted on one of Idaho's public radio stations in January, Governor
Dirk Kempthorne is proposing to not have any statewide standards for
science.
As can be seen in the following article from today's (15 February) Idaho
Statesman, the creationists are jumping with joy.  After all our hard work

and the passage of the standards by the House and Senate Education
Committees, the governor is poised to undo it all!  (The same public radio

station said in its January report that Kempthorne would do this as a
favor
to the creationists.)  You can view Idaho Statesman stories at
http://www.idahostatesman.com

Kempthorne: Limit testing funds
Legislators review budget request for exiting standards

By Gregory Hahn
The Idaho Statesman

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gov. Dirk Kempthorne doesn't want to spend state money on testing for
three of the five new exiting standards subjects approved by the
Legislature this year.

He's recommending the state spend $500,000 and just develop tests for
language arts and math, representatives from his office told the House
Education Committee Monday.

The State Board of Education is asking for $1.15 million to start
state-wide pilot tests for those subjects and to write sample questions
in science, social studies and health. Local districts could then use
and adapt these other assessments if they didn't have the money or
resources to develop their own.

Though the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee will make the ultimate
decision on how much to spend, education committee Chairman Fred Tilman,
R-Boise, hopes to send legislative budget-writers a suggestion from his
committee. He said the group could make a decision on that and other
budget matters Wednesday.

At Monday's hearing, exiting standards commissioner Jim McFadden told
lawmakers that the $1.15 million would buy pilot tests at $190,000 a
subject pay transportation and other costs to keep Idaho teachers
involved and provide $80,000 for a consultant to oversee the program
temporarily.

Standards Commissioner Tom Luna urged the committee to endorse the full
amount.

If you fund less, you'll end up with less, he said. That's just the
bottom line.

But Kempthorne's budget and policy spokesmen said lawmakers should
remember there may be money elsewhere in the Department of Education's
budget. If not, budget analyst Jeff Shinn said, maybe the state should
just put off the science, social studies and health standards.

The governor's request is not just about money, Kempthorne's education
advisor Tom Morley told the lawmakers. It's about emphasis.

The governor's plan drew support from groups hoping to delay or even
derail the standards and the assessment tests.

Idaho Family Forum Director John Elliott, whose group has spoken out
against the evolution requirement in the science standards, said writing
tests for five subject areas may force too much change too quickly on
school districts.

Midvale resident Bob Compton applauded Kempthorne's proposal as a chance
for the state to reevaluate the whole concept, which he said was
flawed and doomed to failure."