Idaho Arts Charter school readies to open with 500 kids

Parents want teaching that goes beyond standardized testing

Parents like Karen Kuhn are taking an active role in getting the Idaho Arts Charter School in Nampa ready to open in three weeks. “The more you put into it, the more you get out,” says Kuhn. “We’re into it 1,000 percent. What you believe in, you put your time into.” Kuhn’s two children will attend the new school.

Trinette Markey is taking her 7-year-old son Erik out of traditional public school and sending him to Nampa’s new Idaho Arts Charter School because she wants Erik to be able to tell the difference between ballet and hip-hop.

Of course Markey has more serious reasons, too. She disagrees with a lot of what goes on in traditional public school, including the emphasis on standardized testing at the expense of subjects beyond reading and math.

"I understand that people need to know how to read," said Markey. "But the IRI (Idaho Reading Indicator) testing and all that nonsense, the focus can’t all be on that."

At Idaho Arts Charter, it won’t be.

Anna Webb
The Idaho Statesman

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