Bluum is a nonprofit organization helping Idaho become a national model for how to maximize learning outcomes for children and families.
New money was the big education story coming out of this year’s legislative session in Boise. Over the next year public schools will see a $109 million increase in state funding. This is about a 7.4 percent increase in new dollars, and returns state spending on public schools to pre-recessionary levels.
Earlier this month, our team wrote a piece to celebrate International Women’s Day and acknowledge the women who work in Idaho’s education system. We thanked the many women who champion innovative ideas in education and celebrated women principals leading some of the best schools in the state.
Students from Sage International School’s Green Team presented an innovative, sustainable program to promote recycling in parks at Tuesday’s Boise City Council work session. Sage students approached Boise Parks & Recreation with their new idea for an outdoor recycling bin, named Terra Luna, which addressed the City Council’s desire to increase the number of recycling bins in Boise’s parks. Over the last 18 months Sage students, in partnership with Parks & Recreation, have worked with community businesses to refine and construct Terra Luna, which mounts onto the city’s existing trash cans.
Compass Public Charter School, located in Meridian, has expanded several times since our inception in 2005. Having started as a K-7 school with 270 students and 12 employees, Compass has grown into a K-12 school of 860 students and 74 employees. This growth has provided the school with many opportunities to learn from mistakes and to build on successes.
The design has been approved, the site is being prepared and Idaho Arts Charter’s new school is still on track to be completed and open by September. The project quickly began falling into place in December.
Interview with Matthew Murphy, 9th Grader at Compass Public Charter School, Meridian. In conjunction with National School Choice Week we interviewed our student rally speakers about what choice means to them and the effect it has had on their education.
