The Idaho Department of Education is an executive agency of the Idaho state education system. The department is responsible for public elementary and secondary school matters as provided by Title 33, Idaho Code, or as determined by the Idaho State Board of Education. It is headquartered in the state capital, Boise, Idaho.
The Idaho Department of Education is helmed by the Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction, an elected official.
Each year the Idaho Department of Education serves more than 300,000 students, at 736 schools, across 115 districts.
Superintendents of Public Instruction The Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction is an elected official and chief executive officer of the Idaho Department of Education responsible for carrying out the policies, procedures, and duties authorized by law or established by the Board for all public elementary and secondary school matters.
The office of superintendent is established in the Idaho Constitution Article IV, Section 1; "The executive department shall consist of a governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state controller, state treasurer, attorney general and superintendent of public instruction, each of whom shall hold his office for four years beginning on the first Monday in January next after his election, commencing with those elected in the year 1946..."
Before 1946, Idaho superintendents of public instruction were elected every two years.
+State Government (1890–present)N. Hui, Management Assistant, Idaho State Department of Education via email, July 6, 2022.NameParty affiliationTenureNotesCritchfield, DebbieR01/02/2023 to presentElected 2022Ybarra, SherriR01/05/2015 to 01/02/2023Elected 2014; reelected 2018Luna, TomR01/01/2007 to 1/04/2015Elected 2006; reelected 2010Howard, MarilynD01/04/1999 to 01/01/2007Elected 1998; reelected 2002Fox, Anne C. R01/02/1995 to 01/04/1999Elected 1994Evans, Jerry L.R01/01/1979 to 01/02/1995Elected 1978; reelected 1982, 1986, 1990Truby, Roy F. D01/06/1975 to 01/01/1979 Elected 1974Engelking, D.F.D01/05/1959 to 01/06/1975 Elected 1958; reelected 1962, 1966, 1970Jones, Alton B. R01/06/1947 to 01/05/1959Elected 1946; reelected 1950, 1954Sullivan, G.C. D01/01/1945 to 01/06/1947Elected 1944Chatburn, Acel H.R03/13/1944 to 01/01/1945Appointed to fill vacancyRoberts, C.E.D01/06/1941 to 03/13/1944Elected 1940; reelected 1942; resigned 3/13/1944Condie, John W. D01/02/1933 to 01/06/1941Elected 1932; reelected 1934, 1936, 1938Davis, Myrtle R.R01/07/1929 to 01/02/1933Elected 1928; reelected 1930Lyman, Mabelle McConnellR01/03/1927 to 01/07/1929 Elected 1926Russum, ElizabethR01/01/1923 to 01/03/1927Elected 1922; reelected 1924Redfield, Ethel E.R01/01/1917 to 01/01/1923Elected 1916; reelected 1918, 1920McCoy, Bernice R01/04/1915 to 01/01/1917Elected 1914Shepherd, Grace M.R01/02/1911 to 01/04/1915Elected 1910; reelected 1913Chamberlain, S. BelleR01/07/1907 to 01/02/1911 Elected 1906; reelected 1908Scott, May L.R01/05/1903 to 01/07/1907Elected 1902; reelected 1904French, PermealD01/01/1899 to 01/05/1903 Elected 1898; reelected 1900Anderson, Louis N.B.P-D01/04/1897 to 01/02/1899Elected 1896Foresman, C.A.R01/07/1895 to 01/04/1897Elected 1894Lower, B.B.R01/02/1893 to 01/07/1895Elected 1892Harroun, JosephR01/05/1891 to 01/02/1893Elected 1890 +Territorial Government (1863–1890)NameStart dateStevenson, Charles C. 11 February 1889Moody, Silas W. 11 February 1887Bishop, W.R. 25 July 1866Chittenden, J.R.23 December 1864
Organization Following is the management hierarchy for the Idaho Department of Education.
Office of the Superintendent
Superintendent of Public Instruction Chief Deputy Superintendent Deputy Superintendent, Operations Deputy Superintendent, Communications and Policy
Communications and Policy
Deputy Superintendent, Communications and Policy
Operations
Deputy Superintendent, Operations Director, Accountability Director, Assessment Director, Federal Programs Director, Content and Curriculum Director, Special Education Coordinator, School Choice Coordinator, Indian Education
Management and Educational Services
Chief Deputy Superintendent Management Assistant Chief Financial Officer, Public School Finance Associate Deputy, Chief Financial Officer Contracts and Procurement Officer Director, Certification and Professional Standards Director, Student Engagement and Safety Coordination Director, Child Nutrition Programs Director, Student Transportation Director, Human Resources and Employment
Responsibilities The Idaho Department of Education implements policies, distributes funds, administers statewide assessments, licenses educators, and provides accountability data for all kindergarten through grade-12 public instruction.
Idaho K-12 charter schools are managed by the Idaho Public Charter School Commission and abide by independent reporting and funding procedures, however, the Idaho Department of Education works closely with the commission to ensure access, equability, and accountability across all Idaho education efforts. This extends to the inclusion of charter schools in the Idaho Schools "report card" tool, which aggregates performance, progress, and enrollment data for all Idaho public schools.
Programs The Idaho Department of Education supports Idaho schools and students through its work in fourteen areas.
Accounting Assessment & Accountability Idaho Reading Indicator ISAT Comprehensive Assessment System Certification and Professional Standards Child Nutrition Programs Child and Adult Care Food Program School Meals Programs Summer Food Service Program Content & Curriculum Idaho Content Standards Federal Programs Educator Effectiveness English Learner Program/Title III Title I, Title II, Title IV, Title V, Title IX Idaho Indian Education Mastery Education Public School Finance School Choice Alternative Schools Home School Magnet School Special Education Results Driven Accountability Monitoring System Student Engagement & Safety Coordination Advanced Opportunities Driver Education Idaho Lives Project (in collaboration with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare) School Health Services Program Student Transportation Technology Services E-rate Broadband Program
Challenges Of the 44 counties in Idaho, seven are urban and 37 are rural as classified by the Idaho Department of Labor. That translates to three quarters of the school districts in Idaho being recognized as rural, per the Idaho statute definition. The schools in these rural areas are regularly challenged to find and retain effective teachers to meet the needs of all of their students, transport students quickly and safely to and from school, and respond to unexpected personnel or technology needs in order to deliver uninterrupted instruction.
In 2021, the statewide high school graduation rate was 80.1 percent while the college enrollment rate was 37 percent. In rural schools, these rates tend to be lower.
Idaho State Board of Education The general supervision, governance, and control of the state educational institutions and public school system of the State of Idaho, as with the education system's executive agencies, are vested in the Idaho State Board of Education (SBOE). State statute requires that this Board "...shall consist of the state superintendent of public instruction, who shall be an ex officio voting member and who shall serve as executive secretary of the board for all elementary and secondary school matters..."
The Idaho State Board of Education is the State Educational Agency.
Board Members may be contacted through the Office of the State Board of Education. Current members of the Board include:
Dr. Linda Clark Bill Gilbert Shawn Keough Kurt Liebich David Turnbull Cally Roach Cindy Siddoway Debbie Critchfield
References
External links Official website Idaho State Department of Education YouTube