Senate education committee hears Kurt Liebeck’s reappointment testimony; vote deferred

The Idaho Senate Education Committee held a gubernatorial reappointment hearing for Kurt Liebeck of Boise, who is nominated to serve on the State Board of Education for a term beginning July 1, 2024 and expiring July 1, 2029. The committee did not vote on the nomination during the meeting and said it will take up the confirmation at a later meeting.

Liebeck introduced himself and reviewed his first term on the board, which began with confirmation in February 2020 and then coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. "When I signed up 5 years ago, what I thought I was getting into was not at all what I got into," Liebeck said, describing how much of the board’s early work during his term focused on pandemic-era school operations. "Every student in Idaho took a step backwards during that time," he told the committee.

Liebeck said he is seeking another five-year term to continue work he described as unfinished. He pointed to K-3 literacy and middle-school math as top K–12 priorities and said the system should help more high-school students get on defined postsecondary or workforce pathways. In higher education, he emphasized degree completion in fields aligned to state workforce needs and said programs that connect students to in-demand careers are important to closing supply gaps in health care, education, skilled trades and STEM.

Committee members asked several questions, including what Liebeck would prioritize in the next five years. In response he reiterated K–3 literacy, middle-school math, and increasing postsecondary credential completion in fields the state needs. Senator Tammy Nichols asked about preventing perceived federal overreach in education; Liebeck responded that federal structures such as No Child Left Behind had constrained state flexibility and that the state should stay close to developments in Washington to preserve opportunities for local innovation.

The committee chair, Senator Dave Lent, told Liebeck that the panel will not vote on the reappointment at that meeting and expects to schedule a vote at the committee's next meeting later in the week. Liebeck offered to meet with any committee members who wanted one-on-one follow-up.

Sources and evidence: Liebeck gave the testimony during the committee's reappointment agenda item. The transcript shows the committee deferred a vote to a future meeting.