Tagged: Nampa

The Nampa School Board voted Tuesday night to leave 27 teaching jobs unfilled next fall (15 secondary and 12 elementary.) The jobs are opening due to retirements and resignations. It’s the latest step in a year-long effort to overcome a $5.1 million budget deficit blamed on accounting errors. The cuts will result in larger class sizes. In fourth grade for example, average class sizes will increase from 26 students to 32 students.

Idaho’s Education Improvement Task Force has started a statewide tour seeking public comment. The group was put together by the State Board of Education. It's been meeting since January to talk about ways to improve Idaho’s education system. It kicked off a seven city public meeting tour Wednesday night in Nampa. About 60 people attended and 19 spoke. Fewer than a third of the members of the 31 person task force attended the forum. 

A Nampa man has taken his skills with computers and turned a children’s bedtime story into a new interactive e-book.  The work is a labor of love, literally.  The book is a legacy for his daughter who was the inspiration for the main character.

Randy Jamison reads the interactive e-book “Jubitron: The Girl Robot” with his nine-year-old daughter Jubilee.  “Isn’t this your favorite page?” asks Jamison.  “Yeah, it’s another one of my favorites,” says Jubilee.

The Nampa School District says the book “Like Water for Chocolate” is inappropriate for high school sophomores. It’s banning the book from the curriculum.

The 1989 book by Mexican author Laura Esquivel includes vivid descriptions of sexual arousal. Nampa School District spokeswoman Allison Westfall says over the weekend, administrators reviewed the passages after receiving complaints.

Nampa’s school superintendent Gary Larsen said  Monday that he's resigning. A spokesperson for The Nampa School District says Larsen hopes the move will restore public trust in how the district manages its finances.

Last month Larsen announced that an accounting error had resulted in a  $2.8  million shortfall going into the new school year.

Larsen credited the error to the district financial office being understaffed. He took responsibility for that situation. Tuesday night Nampa’s school board will hold a special meeting on whether to accept Larsen’s resignation.

A new study out of Stanford University says that organic food may not be any healthier than conventionally produced food. The researchers found no difference in organic and conventional foods when it comes to allergies or food poisoning, and sited only small variations in nutrient levels.

The Nampa School District passed its levy this week. That means $1.6 million will be used for things like curriculum and building maintenance.

But the state’s third largest district has cut more than $5 million in other areas just in the last few months. That’s a result of two shortfalls. One of the line items taking a big hit in Nampa is the substitute teaching budget.

Last year Nampa spent $771,600 for substitute teachers. This year the district plans to cut $600,000 by using subs only for long term assignments such as maternity leave.