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 campuses
• Better pay and benefit offerings for educators — especially critical education support professionals
• Badly needed resources for public school facilities across the state

The panel also discusses the need for education advocates to defeat expected legislation introducing vouchers.
 
This episode's guests are:

• Layne McInelly, IEA president
• Matt Compton, IEA associate executive director
• Chris Parri, IEA political director