TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Speaker Scott Bedke, Rep. Laurie Lickley and College of Southern Idaho President Dean Fisher hosted a roundtable with Magic Valley students and education leaders to talk about the future of Idaho education.
The discussion covered need for in-demand career opportunities, higher-education trends and the recent special legislative session. House Bill 1 allocates $410 million to Idaho education.
“It is really critical that we understand how we implement that in the next legislative session, but most importantly we want to find the programs that are working in our high schools to give those (kids) the skill set the need to go on and be productive members of our workforce community,” said Lickley.
Program advancement was a focus of the discussion in order to get high school students thinking of their careers after they graduate. Kamille Mirkin is a senior at Jerome High School and is apart of 4H and FFA. She said these programs have helped her determine a career path and she feels that programs like these should be a focus when it comes to education funding.
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“I think it’s extremely important to be able to have these programs that allow for students to learn more about job opportunities in our area when they are in high school so that way when they go and enter the work force, they understand what they want to do,” said Mirkin.
Lickley hopes conversations like this can lead to better education in Idaho and further allow students to be a focus when it comes to government education funding.
“We’re and ag based area right here in the magic valley but there are so many other skills and trades that our students need to go into the work force or go onto get a higher education. As we all know education is freedom,” said Lickley.
For more information on House Bill 1, click here.
