[Vision2020] GOP’s Evans backs Balukoff, crossing over for education

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of today's (October 5, 2014) Spokesman-Review.

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Eye on Boise: GOP’s Evans backs Balukoff, crossing over for education
Betsy Z. Russell

Former GOP state schools Superintendent Jerry Evans has endorsed Democrat A.J. Balukoff for governor of Idaho, over two-term GOP Gov. Butch Otter. “We simply cannot afford four more years of going in the wrong direction,” Evans said. “It is time to thank Gov. Otter for his service and to wish him well in retirement.” 

Kaycee Emery, spokeswoman for Otter’s campaign, noted that Evans also endorsed Democratic challenger Keith Allred over Otter in 2010; Otter won. “Our only comment would be education continues to be a top priority for Gov. Otter, and as he’s said before and continues to say, he is committed to implementing the education task force’s 20 recommendations over the next five years,” she said. “And that’s all part of his commitment to build a brighter future for Idahoans.”

Evans, who served as Idaho’s elected state schools superintendent from 1979 to 1995, said: “I have watched what’s happening to our schools with growing concern and frustration for several years. Despite an abundance of political talk to the contrary, Idaho’s public schools have been all but abandoned by our state’s leaders. We are not living up to our state constitution’s mandate to ‘maintain a general, uniform and thorough’ system of public schools.”

Balukoff called Evans’ endorsement “a great honor,” and said, “His endorsement sends a message to educators, parents and everyone who cares about education that Gov. Otter has failed our children and our public schools. That’s why I’m running for governor.” Balukoff said Evans is “widely considered to be one of the best state school superintendents that Idaho has ever had.”

Looking in ‘Crystal Ball’
Maybe this is why Politico picked the Idaho governor’s race as a potential “wild card” last week when it was looking at incumbent governors who could lose in November: On Sept. 18, The Sabato Crystal Ball, the respected election analysis and forecasting site operated by University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato, moved Idaho’s governor’s race from the “Safe Republican” category to “Likely Republican.”

“Those looking for a sleeper race this year ought to take a look at Idaho,” Crystal Ball managing editor Kyle Kondik wrote.  “In his quest for a third term, Gov. Butch Otter (R) really struggled in his primary, getting only 51 percent of the vote, and we’ve heard from some sources there that he could be vulnerable. Apparently, Otter is having trouble unifying his party, and deep-pocketed challenger A.J. Balukoff, a conservative Democrat who said he voted for Mitt Romney in 2012, might give disaffected Republicans an alternative (a Libertarian is also running).”

Kondik notes that data are scarce, with the only recent public polls showing Otter still well in the lead. “Based on that information, Otter is seemingly still in decent shape,” he wrote. “However, because of what we’ve been hearing, we’re switching this race from Safe Republican to Likely Republican.” The site also moved the Pennsylvania governor’s race from “Leans Democratic” to “Likely Democratic,” predicting the GOP incumbent there will lose; and moved the Colorado race to “Toss-Up.”

Reviewing test questions
Idaho’s state Department of Education is looking for 120 public school parents, teachers, administrators and school board members from all over the state to gather in Boise for four days in December to review test questions for the new statewide testing students will undergo this spring. The review will be Dec. 15-19 and will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. If that’s not enough time to get through all 30,000 test questions, participants may be asked to return to Boise Jan. 6-8, 2015.

The review is required by legislation that passed this year; the department says it’ll cover participants’ travel to Boise and the cost of substitutes while teachers participate.

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Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
http://www.MoscowCares.com
  
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

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