BOISE — A Twin Falls lawmaker has been named chairman of the House Education Committee.
Rep. Lance Clow, a Republican who was previously mayor of Twin Falls, will now take the reins of the committee he has sat on since 2012, House leadership announced Friday morning. Clow is stepping into the position in a pivotal year for education in Idaho, as the state considers adopting a new formula to fund its schools.
“I think my time serving as mayor gives me a skill set for running meetings and hearings that other people may not have at this stage of their career,” Clow said. “I looked at mine and I thought, ‘I’m ready, I can do it.’”
The proposed new formula, which would base funding on enrollment rather than average daily attendance, is expected to be a top priority for the education committees this legislative session. Some Magic Valley school district superintendents have voiced concerns about the proposed formula, saying it could create “winners and losers” by taking money away from some districts and giving it to others.
Clow noted that there have been complaints about the old funding formula as well.
“You could argue there used to be winners and losers under the old formula,” Clow said. “The new formula is going to have some winners and losers, and we have to recognize there have to be some adjustments to keep the losers at a very minimum, to make sure what needs they have are well-preserved and move forward.”
Questions especially still remain about how the new formula could interact with Idaho’s five-year career ladder to boost teacher salaries, a relationship that wasn’t explicitly addressed in the latest draft from the Public School Funding Formula Interim Committee.
“The model recognizes the money for the career ladder, but it doesn’t necessarily have the legislation written yet to preserve the importance of funding education careers,” Clow said. “I want to make sure that stays in place, and I think everybody does.”
Three new House members from south-central Idaho also received their committee assignments Friday morning: Rep. Laurie Lickley, R-Jerome; Rep. Linda Wright Hartgen, R-Twin Falls; and Rep. Muffy Davis, D-Ketchum.
Lickley will serve on the Health & Welfare Committee, the Resources & Conservation Committee, and the Environment, Energy and Technology Committee.
Wright Hartgen will serve on the State Affairs Committee, the Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee, and the Environment, Energy and Technology Committee.
Davis will serve on the Health & Welfare Committee, the Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee, and the Transportation and Defense Committee.
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(3) comments
Clow was Mayor of Twin Falls City,
Hall was Mayor and is now a County Commissioner,
Heider was Vice Mayor as I remember.
Anyone see a problem here with the rest of the County being properly represented? Republican or Democrat it don't matter, Twin Falls has got themselves properly represented.
Good men ALL!
Still, it is obvious to me what they are doing. Basic Community Policing; get your people promoted to high positions.
The goal is more growth. Good men All, I'd vote for them too, but it is obvious Twin Falls is taking over the County.
Maybe not such a bad thing, we'll see. Other than too many people, farm ground getting paved over, I like what I see.
Just the same! We should be aware what's going on. The City of Twin Falls runs the County.
He shouldn't even be in office. Only reason why we have him and Heider is because how corrupt the GOP is and the death hold they have on our elections.
I like them all! They've been leaders in the Community their whole lives. I don't always agree, and I tell them so. There's no death hold, Dan! Anyone can run. You should think about it yourself, you'd be good also. None of these men were/are corrupt, Dan.
I was in a position to know. They are stellar. You should give some thought on running, no death hold here in our Valley. If you don't like the way things are, do something to change it, like run for office.
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