Idaho superintendent candidates debate school choice, book bans ahead of election
The two candidates vying to be Idaho’s next superintendent of public instruction debated Monday night on issues including school choice, math and literacy rates, and book bans.
The two candidates — former State Board of Education President Debbie Critchfield, a Republican, and former teacher and Idaho Education Association President Terry Gilbert, a Democrat — are both running to serve the next four-year term as Idaho’s top education official in the Nov. 8 general election.
Throughout the debate, the two candidates disagreed on certain issues, including their views on school choice, and why the believe they are qualified for the role. The superintendent of public instruction heads the state Department of Education and holds a seat on the State Board of Education.
During the hourlong debate, Gilbert repeatedly talked about his experience as a teacher. He said his passion for teaching prepared him to serve as the state’s top education official. He took jabs at Critchfield, who he said would not fight for public education.
“Why did I join this race, knowing that I would be greatly outspent by my opponent who has powerful and deep-pocket corporate friends?” he said. “I think it’s past time for a change. I can spark that change.”
He said his opponent’s strength was in policy, not in “understanding the heart of the teacher.”
Critchfield said she is prepared to lead the department, to work with legislators and to move Idaho education forward after her years of experience on the state Board of Education and as a school board member in Cassia County. She said she is a fighter for education, and that Americans are looking for “cooperation” and “getting something done in government.”
“I have spent more than 20 years as an advocate for education at every level, including starting as a substitute teacher, and I am ready and prepared to lead on day one,” she said.
Candidates discuss improving math, literacy rates
During the debate candidates were asked questions on how they would improve the state’s math and literacy rates, and address learning loss that stemmed from the pandemic.
Results from the 2022 Idaho Standards Achievement Test — which students in third, eighth and 10th grades take every spring — showed 54.8% of all students were proficient or advanced in English language arts and 41.9% were proficient or higher in math. Student performance in English language arts improved to nearly the levels seen in 2019, before the pandemic, but students’ math scores still fell short.
Gilbert said he would bring tutors into the classroom, including retired teachers. Not all of the burden should be put on current teachers who are already overtaxed, he said.
The state needs to put more money into improving student literacy, he said. Lawmakers have neglected funding education since he entered the classroom and it “hasn’t gotten that much better,” he said.
He added that he wants to encourage and support teachers in the classroom, who have faced attacks and accusations of indoctrination over the past several years.
“I want teachers to emphasize the joy of teaching and the joy of learning,” he said. “I am a teacher and I understand what it’s like to be a teacher, day after day, paper after paper.”
Critchfield said she would look at the budget and see how funds could be better allocated to serve students and improve skills. Math in particular, she said, has been overlooked.
Critchfield pointed to steps the state has already taken to improve literacy rates. Last session, lawmakers passed a bill that requires screenings, resources and professional development to serve dyslexic students. Critchfield said if elected, she would ensure school districts understand how to implement that law.
She added there needs to be a focus on the science of reading, and on how teachers are prepared to teach reading before they enter the classroom.
Candidates clash on school choice
School choice has been a point of tension between the two candidates throughout their campaigns.
The term, defined by the State Department of Education as letting parents choose the “method of education” that best fits their families, is often used as a way to refer to the idea of letting public funds follow students to private schools.
When asked if she would support allowing parents to use public dollars for scholarships for private and religious institutions, Critchfield didn’t answer directly but said she supports public schools.
“We don’t want to defund public schools, and it shouldn’t come at the risk of rural schools,” Critchfield said. “What I would like to see is a thoughtful and balanced approach to how we address this.”
The state already allows parents to make decisions about their children’s education through a variety of programs, including through the Empowering Parents Grants program, which allows any family across the state to apply for grants to use on expenses such as technology, instructional materials and tutoring, she said.
“I have never said that I supported vouchers,” Critchfield said. “This discussion of how we, I guess, open up school choice in other ways is one of the predominant discussions in education in Idaho today.”
Gilbert, who has been outspoken against voucher programs, said implementing a program like that would be detrimental to public education in Idaho.
“If you want to kill public schools, let’s adopt a voucher program,” he said. “Let’s give money to the voucher program. Let’s have those corporate greedy voucher people swallow up the money.”
He referred to the “voucher vultures,” a term he coined to refer to groups who push school vouchers and spread negative rumors about public schools. He has in the past specifically called out the Idaho Freedom Foundation, an influential lobbying group that’s advocated for defunding public education.
The state has school choice now, he said, with options that include public schools, public charter schools and home schooling.
Candidates suggest allocations for $330 million
The next superintendent of public instruction will assume office as the Idaho Legislature decides how to spend the $330 million lawmakers allocated to K-12 education during a special session in September.
Gilbert said he’d advocate for half of the money to go toward improving the state’s literacy and math rates and for the other half to go toward salaries for teachers and support staff.
Critchfield said she would look at putting funds into career technical education, a key component of her campaign. She said she would also want to address the state’s aging facilities.
The two differed on whether they supported the Quality Education Act, a ballot initiative that would have provided millions for Idaho education through taxes on the wealthy and corporations.
Volunteers from Reclaim Idaho, the grassroots group that spearheaded the initiative, gathered enough signatures to get the act on the November ballot. But the group opted to pull the question after the Legislature passed its bill that allocated the money using sales tax revenue instead.
Still, the group took credit for moving lawmakers to make the historic investment in Idaho’s public schools.
Gilbert said he supported the initiative, and criticized his opponent for not doing the same.
Critchfield said she didn’t believe it was necessary to raise taxes, but that she was “very happy and supportive” that the governor addressed the issue in another way.
“I’m a taxpayer, I care where my money goes, and I want to care and protect the investment that our taxpayers are making,” she said.
The candidates also debated ways to address Idaho’s teacher shortage. Although the number of open teacher positions has gone down significantly since the end of last school year, districts across the state have resorted to filling the positions with underqualified employees through alternative certifications or emergency provisional certificates.
Critchfield said compensation is “huge,” but it’s not the “longterm motivator.” Teachers need to feel valued and be given the resources they need to handle students with severe behaviors, she said — the primary concerns she hears when she visits schools.
Gilbert quoted teachers who said they don’t feel trusted or respected in their roles. He suggested people send teachers handwritten notes telling them how much they are valued, so educators know the public is behind them.
He also said he would want to address mental and behavioral health — not just among students, but among teachers.
School boards can set own policies on library books
Gilbert and Critchfield also discussed book bans and what they see as their role in making sure Idaho’s school libraries have diverse and appropriate selections.
Schools and libraries have faced pushes over the past several months to remove certain books from their shelves. Many of the books people have raised concerns about, and alleged as pornographic or inappropriate, include LGBTQ people or people of color.
Local school boards now set their own policies on how library books are selected and how they address requests for reconsideration.
Gilbert said the country is seeing the “squeezing” of the American mind.
“It’s dangerous to our democracy. And it is being propagated by people who do not enjoy democracy,” he said. “Those books in libraries are selected by trained adults, looking for books to educate, not indoctrinate their children.”
He said decisions on what is in school libraries should be handled on a local level through conversations with educators and librarians.
Critchfield, similarly, said she supports local control. School boards can make their own policies on these issues, she said. But she said transparency is important so parents understand how materials are chosen and how they can provide feedback.
The state superintendent can help guide these processes, she said.
‘Most important position in our government’
Both candidates said they care deeply about education and want the role so they can create better experiences for communities across the state.
In his closing statement, Gilbert called for legislators and officials to tell teachers how much they are appreciated and provide them with the resources they need.
“I love my teacher family and they need our support,” he said, “as do the educational support professionals in our schools.”
Critchfield said the superintendent role is “the most important position in our government.”
“We look over our children and how we can best help them,” she said.
The last few years during the pandemic presented the biggest disruption in education in modern times, she said. She said she’s confident as superintendent, she could be a champion and advocate for Idaho schools.
“It’s not just about resources,” she said. “We also need a leader with a plan. And I have that and I’m ready to serve.”
This story was originally published October 25, 2022 at 9:55 AM.
