The Courier
NEWS
Distinquished Service
On Monday, Camas County 4-H Coordinator, Carol Reagan, presented this year's Distinquished Service award to Harold Lefler for his years of leading 4-H Archery in Camas County. Harold been active in Archery for most of his life. Before he came to Camas County, he taught Bowhunters' Education in Mountain Home. When Harold moved to Fairfield, he plugged into 4-H Archery and assisted Sheriff Dave Sanders with the 4-H Archery Club. Two years later, he made the commitment to become a 4-H leader in Archery. During the last 7 years, Harold has been an exemplary model for the youth, imparting what it means to be involved in a sport that requires discipline, safety, sportsmanship, sound decision making and ethical behavior. His ability to involve parents has been demonstrated every year at the Camas County Fair's 4-H Archery Shooting Contest. Most of all, Harold has modeled what it is to be a lifelong learner. Camas County 4-H is looking for other adults to follow in the footsteps of Harold, and help teach our youth skill that can last a lifetime. If you love animals (big and small) or sewing, maybe you enjoy leathercraft or photography, perhaps cooking is your passion, or working with wood or small engines is your thing. Stop by the 4-H office at the county courthouse annex and see the posibilities.
Moose, Bighorn Sheep & Mountain Goat Seasons
by Connor Liess, Public Information Specialist Idaho Fish and Game will be setting new seasons for upcoming moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat hunts in early 2023 and gathering public input on the proposals. Hunters can easily review the proposals at the moose, sheep, goat proposals webpage once they're posted. Proposals are expected to be posted this week, and the comment period will run through December 29 at 8 a.m. at idfg.idaho.gov/comment. Moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat seasons will be finalized by the Fish and Game Commission during its January 26th meeting in Boise. The application period for moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat controlled hunts runs April 1 thru 30. The public comment process will also include meetings and open houses hosted at Fish and Game’s regional offices. Staff at some regions will host a meeting and provide an overview of their proposals, while others will hold office hours where people can stop in and talk to a biologist during that time. Magic Valley Regional Office Salmon Regional Office 324 South 417 E. Suite 1, Jerome 99 Highway 93 North. Salmon Open House: Thursday, Dec. 15, 3-7 p.m. Open House: Tuesday, Dec. 20, 4-6 p.m.
News from the Heart of Idaho Camas • Lincoln • Gooding
December 14, 2022
Vol 46 Num 50
School Vouchers: Next Big Issue in Idaho?
This last Saturday, in the middle of a snow storm, I was visited by two young men on a mission. No, not a religious mission... a political one. Their goal was to convince me (and the rest of my neighbors) that school vouchers are bad. Given that in September, the State of Idaho increased annual public school funding by $410 million, why is this an issue? Because this summer the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the State of Maine could not restrict where state tuition assistance (vouchers) is used. While this particular case was about religious discrimination by the State of Maine, it was also a huge win for "school choice" advocates. School choice is an idea that says parents have the primary responsibility for the education of their children and should have the unrestricted choice of where and how their children are educated. This includes charter schools, private schools, religious schools, home schooling and... public schools. The main issue in all of this is funding. Two thirds of education funding in Idaho comes from the state (taxes). If parents are tax payers (and they are), shouldn't they have the right to say how those education dollars are spent? Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia already provide parents this choice (to some extent) and Idaho may be next. Opponents of school choice are rightly concerned that allowing school vouchers would take money away from our public schools. School funding is generally based on ADA (Average Daily Attendance) with some modifications. If a student goes somewhere else, so does the money, and in small school districts that can be a big problem. But wait, isn't education about... education? If vouchers improve education, shouldn't we be using them? That, of course, is the question. In rural America, it is doubtful that vouchers would be a major advantage to families, seeing that most small communities do not have multiple options for schooling. For families living in large cities, however, vouchers can help a student graduate from high school when they might otherwise dropout. Surprisingly, black students benefit the most from voucher systems. Whether Idaho should adopt a voucher program may come down to how much faith you have in your local school district.