IEA Reporter Podcast

In this episode, we visit with IEA board member and national education award honoree, Dr. Melyssa Ferro, about being a union member. Ferro, science teacher at Syringa Middle School in Caldwell, is a highly decorated educator who is among five honored this weekend as a finalist for the Horace Mann Award by the NEA Foundation. Ferro was Idaho’s 2016 Teacher of the Year and in 2024 was named Teacher of the Year by the Idaho Middle Level Association and was honored as one the Idaho Business Review’s 2024 Women of the Year. 

Our topic is the Committee to Protect and Preserve the Idaho Constitution v. State of Idaho, the lawsuit IEA members joined questioning the constitutionality of the tax credit voucher created by 2025’s House Bill 93. Oral arguments in the suit were presented to the Idaho Supreme Court on Jan. 23 and a decision is expected in the coming weeks. Joining us for the discussion are three representatives of the pro-public education coalition that came together for the suit. They include Cindy Wilson, the Idaho State Director for Mormon Women for Ethical Government and a long time educator, Daniel Mooney, president of the Committee to Protect and Preserve the Idaho Constitution and a Boise attorney, and Paul Stark, executive director of the Idaho Education Association.

In this episode, we talk with Lindsey Smith about her role as Idaho's newly-elected representative on the National Education Association Board of Directors. She's a 16-year veteran educator who teaches gifted education and leadership at Sacagawea Middle School in Lewiston. Lindsey took her seat as NEA Director on September 1. We talk about her new role and the importance of being active in the union's work. 

In this episode, our guest is Sarah Inama, the former West Ada School District educator who made national and international headlines earlier this year refusing to bow to her school district administration’s directive to take down her classroom poster affirming the importance of inclusion and diversity. Sarah’s story and her now-famous ‘Everyone is Welcome Here’ poster became a rallying point for those eager to support students, educators and public education. The IEA Reporter Podcast caught up with Sarah from home during summer break to talk to her about her experiences and what comes next for her.

This week: a legislative update and discussion about IEA's annual Delegate Assembly with IEA President Layne McInelly. Delegate Assembly, the highest governing body of the largest union in Idaho, will be held April 4-5 in Boise.

In this episode, the student mental health crisis gripping Idaho public schools and the challenges it poses for educators and policy makers. Our guest is Darcie DeLeon, an IEA board member and school counselor in Twin Falls, Idaho. 

In this episode, we discuss Week 7 of the Idaho Legislature, including final legislative approval of Idaho's first voucher bill, House Bill 93. We also talk to IEA member and Rigby High School librarian, Heidi Robbins, about the impact of 2024 library legislation and IEA's new Library Committee. Host: Mike Journee

This week we take a brief look at Week 4 of the 2025 Idaho Legislature and take a deep dive on the current state of the voucher debate. Guests are Quinn Perry, associate executive director at the Idaho School Boards Association and Chris Parri, political director at the Idaho Education Association, as well as Matt Compton, IEA's associate executive director.Host: Mike Journee

In this episode, we discuss the expiration of the Idaho Educator Career Ladder, the funding framework the Idaho Legislature has used for 10 years to provide predictable funding and raises to educators in Idaho. We’ll talk with IEA Region Director Jason McKinley, who works in IEA’s Region 2 in the Lewiston-Moscow area, and IEA Associate Director Matt Compton about what challenges these changes to may mean for educator contract negotiations and teacher pay. 

This week, we take a brief look at the second week of the 2025 legislative session in Idaho, including a new bill trying to ban flags and banners like the Pride flag in classrooms. We also take a look at the impact of 2024's "BandAid Bill," which prohibits educators from providing any medical attention to students in their classroom. Boise Education Association President Lara Luthy and IEA Political Director Chris Parri join us for that conversation.Host: Mike Journee

This week we take a brief look at what happened during the 2025 Idaho Legislature's first week, including lots of talk about voucher legislation, and have a conversation with Idaho Education News Senior Reporter Kevin Richert. A 40-year veteran of Idaho journalism, Richert discusses what educators can expect from this year's session, the state of journalism in Idaho, and his observations after four decades of observing the Idaho Statehouse. 

In this episode, we discuss what IEA members can expect from the 2025 session of the Idaho Legislature. Joining us are Lisa Callaway, and IEA member from Boise who serves on the union's government relations and political action committees, IEA President Layne McInelly and Chris Parri, IEA's political director. HOST: Mike Journee 

The Idaho Legislature adjourned last week and the results for public education and IEA members were nothing short of monumental. Historic pay raises for both certified educators and education support professionals and the defeat seven voucher bills proved the influence of IEA members is real and important for education policy in Idaho.In our final HOTLINE Podcast of the year, IEA’s Political Director Chris Parri and Associate Executive Director Matt Compton offer analysis of the session’s results and next steps for education policy in Idaho.  

This episode’s topic is Week 10 of the 2023 legislative session. With adjournment likely next week, lawmakers are done with committee hearings and working through a long roster of legislation so they can go home. The Idaho Legislature is winding down its business for 2023 and, absent any last-minute surprises, this session’s outcomes for students, educators and public education promise to be historic. Those bills include pay raises for significant pay raises for educators — IEA members’ top priority for this year — and tellingly do not include any voucher bills. Joining today’s conversation are IEA Political Director Chris Parri,  IEA Associate Executive Director Matt Compton and  IEA Executive Director Paul Stark

In this episode of the HOTLINE Podcast, our panel discusses Week 7 of the Idaho Legislature’s 2023 session, including the defeat of extreme voucher and maneuvering around other voucher bills, failed attempts to police and censor libraries and other action around education policy.Joining today’s conversation are:IEA’s Political Director Chris ParriIEA Associate Executive Director Matt Compton

In this episode of Idaho Education Association's HOTLINE Podcast, we discuss Week 6 of the Idaho Legislature’s 2023 session. Our panel's discussion centers on:The real fiscal impact of the session’s first voucher billA bill requiring school districts to provide separate bathrooms and locker rooms based on students’ gender at birthA legislative committee’s rejection of expanded protections from abuse for school employeesA popular parent’s rights bill, March 14’s bond and levy elections and the emergence of budget legislation.Joining today’s conversation are:IEA President Layne McInellyIEA’s Associate Executive Director Matt ComptonIEA Executive Director Paul Stark

In this episode of IEA's HOTLINE Podcast, we discuss Week 5 of the Idaho Legislature’s 2023 session. Our panel's analysis centers on the advancement of the session’s first voucher bill earlier in the week, the outlook for Gov. Brad Little’s proposals on educator pay, attempts politicize traditionally non-partisan institutions in the state and a renewed effort to censor libraries. Joining  today’s conversation are:IEA’s Political Director Chris ParriIEA Executive Director Paul Stark

In this episode of IEA's HOTLINE Podcast, we discuss Week 4 of the Idaho Legislature’s 2023 session. Our discussion centers around bond and levy elections on March 14 and proposed legislation to limit school district opportunities to put such measures before voters (House Bill 58). We also discuss legislation (House Bill 114) expanding protections for educators from physical violence —  a problem educators face all to often — and IEA's coming testimony on Tuesday against the session's first voucher bill (Senate Bill 1038). We also discuss IEA Local Lobby Days, which last Monday included members from Vallivue Education Association and Caldwell Education Association. Joining the conversation are:IEA’s Political Director Chris ParriIEA Executive Director Paul Stark    

In this episode of HOTLINE, we discuss the first three weeks of the Idaho Legislature’s 2023 session. There’s been quite a bit action around education at the Statehouse as those with a wide variety of perspectives about public education begin bringing their proposals forward. Our panel discusses:Three key factions among lawmakers looking to influence education policyAn unlikely proposed amendment to the Idaho Constitution that aims to clear the way (but likely falls short) for allowing the state to use tax dollars to pay for private religious educationThe session's first full-throated voucher bill from Sen. Tammy Nichols of Middleton and other anti-public education lawmakersIEA's Local Lobby DaysJoining host Mike Journee for today’s conversation are:IEA’s Political Director Chris ParriIEA Executive Director Paul Stark

This episode of IEA's HOTLINE Podcast discusses Jan. 16's  2023 IEA Lobby Day, IEA members’ annual opportunity talk directly with Idaho lawmakers about their legislative priorities for making Idaho public education the best it can possibly be for Idaho’s students and families. This year, more than 150 IEA members came to Boise for this year’s event, which was one of the most successful ever. Our panel also discussed a new advocacy opportunity for individual local education associations to bring their members back to the Statehouse on a designated Monday later in the session — something we call Local Lobby Day. Joining me for today’s conversation are:IEA Political Director Chris ParriIEA Organizer Eliza Walton 

In this episode of IEA's HOTLINE Podcast, we discuss Idaho Gov. Brad Little's recommendation to bring starting teacher salaries into the top 10 among all states — an extraordinary commitment to public education and the future of the state. Our  panel discusses Gov. Little's recommended pay raise for both certified educators and classified school employees and the positive impact such an investment will have on learning outcomes for students. Joining the conversation are key members of IEA's Lobby Team:Associate Executive Director Matt ComptonPolitical Director Chris Parri

In this episode of IEA's HOTLINE Podcast, we discuss vouchers — taxpayer funded government subsidies for private schools or vendors that syphon scarce and desperately needed tax dollars away from public school classroom. The panel discusses how voucher proponents cloak voucher schemes in benign language like "school choice" or "scholarships" and how other states that adopt the concept have not seen promised educational outcomes. Joining this discussion are central members of IEA's Lobby Team:IEA President Layne McInellyIEA Executive Director Paul StarkIEA Associate Executive Director Matt Compton

In this episode of IEA's HOTLINE Podcast, we discuss Idaho's decades of chronically underfunding Idaho public schools and cascading impacts it has on students, learning and public school educators. The panel discusses the Idaho Legislature's continued failure in meeting its constitutional mandate to provide an equitable public education to all Idaho students, how that failure creates uneven learning outcomes for students and how bonds and levies at the local level have taken on an outsized importance for local school districts. Joining the conversation for this episode are:IEA member and Idaho Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking, who is a member of the Senate Education Committee and member of the powerful budget-writing Joint Finance and Appropriations CommitteeIEA President Layne McInellyIEA Executive Director Paul Stark

In this episode of Idaho Education Association's HOTLINE Podcast, we discuss the growing, critical crisis of student mental health and wellbeing and how its impacting Idaho students, classrooms and educators. The panel discusses what's behind this crisis, the need for increased school staffing to help ease its impacts, how student learning and the teaching environment are affected, and how growing expectations for managing outbursts are taking a physical and emotional toll on professional educators.Our guests for this conversation are:Sonia Galiviz, a veteran educator, IEA member and newly elected member of the Idaho House of Representatives Brooke Calderon, an IEA regional director who spent 10-years as middle school teacher in Idaho  Matt Compton, IEA’s associate executive director and key member of IEA’s Lobby Team  

In our inaugural episode of Idaho Education Association's HOTLINE podcast, we discuss the political landscape for public education on the cusp of the 2023 regular session of the Idaho Legislature. Coming off of historic investments for K-12 public education during the 2022 session and another record $330 million earmark made during a special session in September, lawmakers face important questions about the need for continuing the positive trend for Idaho's classrooms. We discuss policy priorities for IEA members including:Funding for student mental health and wellbeing resources on school campusesBetter pay and benefit offerings for educators — especially critical education support professionalsBadly needed resources for public school facilities across the stateThe panel also discusses the need for education advocates to defeat expected legislation introducing vouchers. This episode's guests are:Layne McInelly, IEA presidentMatt Compton, IEA associate executive directorChris Parri, IEA political director