The Ranch Podcast

Quinn Perry, the Government Affairs officer for the Idaho School Board Association, champions the voices of elected school board officials. In a riveting discussion, she dives into the contentious issues surrounding school vouchers and parental rights. She highlights the disparities between public and private schools, emphasizing the need for community engagement in education. Perry advocates for holistic education approaches, pushing for collaboration among stakeholders to enhance educational standards for all children. Her insights into the delicate balance of school choice and accountability are thought-provoking.

Monica Church, a passionate District 19 Representative and school teacher, shares her insights on what truly defines Idaho. She discusses the interplay between the state’s independent spirit and growing governmental influence. Monica reminisces about her adventurous childhood, highlighting Idaho's untouched beauty. The conversation dives into the challenges educators face while navigating authenticity in discussions on personal autonomy and public health. She also tackles gender stereotypes in education, advocating for diverse role models and their importance in STEM fields.

Dr. Derek Bub is the superintendent for West Ada School District, the best public school district in the state of Idaho and one of the best in the country. The district is not just academically successful, but it also has culturally conservative policies in place, like banning all flags other than US and Idaho flags, removing inappropriate books from libraries, and prohibiting political speech in classrooms. Idaho is working feverishly to figure out what the structure of their publicly funded school should be, and West Ada is an extremely good example of academic and cultural proficiency. Enjoy!The Ranch Podcast Legislative Session episodes are supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. www.theRanchPodcast.orgThe Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and information in the Treasure Valley and great state of Idaho. The Boise area is home to many counties and ways of life. It’s also home to many law enforcement agencies, like Ada County and Canyon county Sheriff offices, Idaho State Police, Eagle Police Department, Meridian Police Department, and many more. The school systems in the area are also quite diverse. Boise school district and West Ada School District, though right next to each other, are quite different. Ada County is also home to our state capital and many of our elected officials. The Ranch Podcast is shot just north of Eagle, Idaho. If you’re interested in producing a podcast or need content of any kind, please feel free to reach out to Matt at Matt@MTUStudios.com

Janie Ward-Engelking is a District 18 Senator who has been on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) for years. JFAC is responsible for establishing a revenue estimate and then dolling out said revenue. This is a crucial piece of the entire legislative process as the legislative session cannot conclude until Idaho has a budget. Enjoy!The Ranch Podcast Legislative Session episodes are supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. www.theRanchPodcast.orgThe Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and information in the Treasure Valley and great state of Idaho. The Boise area is home to many counties and ways of life. It’s also home to many law enforcement agencies, like Ada County and Canyon county Sheriff offices, Idaho State Police, Eagle Police Department, Meridian Police Department, and many more. The school systems in the area are also quite diverse. Boise school district and West Ada School District, though right next to each other, are quite different. Ada County is also home to our state capital and many of our elected officials. The Ranch Podcast is shot just north of Eagle, Idaho. If you’re interested in producing a podcast or need content of any kind, please feel free to reach out to Matt at Matt@MTUStudios.com

David Leavitt is a District 25 Representative fighting to repeal the grocery tax. This particular tax in Idaho is not popular among the populace and many attempts have been made to repeal it with no success. The state does offer a grocery tax rebate that you can file to recoup some of your tax burden, but that naturally begs the question, why have a tax in the first place if I can file to get it back? Enjoy!The Ranch Podcast Legislative Session episodes are supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. www.theRanchPodcast.orgThe Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and information in the Treasure Valley and great state of Idaho. The Boise area is home to many counties and ways of life. It’s also home to many law enforcement agencies, like Ada County and Canyon county Sheriff offices, Idaho State Police, Eagle Police Department, Meridian Police Department, and many more. The school systems in the area are also quite diverse. Boise school district and West Ada School District, though right next to each other, are quite different. Ada County is also home to our state capital and many of our elected officials. The Ranch Podcast is shot just north of Eagle, Idaho. If you’re interested in producing a podcast or need content of any kind, please feel free to reach out to Matt at Matt@MTUStudios.com

Justin Buckley works for Idaho Coalition of Land Trusts, an organization working to help preserve agricultural land. Ag land is not only required for food systems, but it’s also an integral part of our tax base. Residential developments are a net negative from a county tax standpoint, whereas agricultural operations are a net benefit. Preserving this land is not only important for local providers and families, but it’s also important for the rest of us in the state. And thank you to FARE Idaho for connecting us and helping us get this incredible episode out.Check out FARE Idaho at https://www.fareidaho.org/For more episodes and information about this podcast, please visit www.theRanchPodcast.orgThe Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and information in the Treasure Valley and great state of Idaho. The Boise area is home to many counties and ways of life. It’s also home to many law enforcement agencies, like Ada County and Canyon county Sheriff offices, Idaho State Police, Eagle Police Department, Meridian Police Department, and many more. The school systems in the area are also quite diverse. Boise school district and West Ada School District, though right next to each other, are quite different. Ada County is also home to our state capital and many of our elected officials. The Ranch Podcast is shot just north of Eagle, Idaho. If you’re interested in producing a podcast or need content of any kind, please feel free to reach out to Matt at Matt@MTUStudios.com

Brody Harshbarger is one of seven Idaho Fish & Game commissioners directly appointed by the Governor, a rancher, and a wildlife enthusiast. He also has grizzly bears walking around his yard where his children play. Much conversation has been had regarding ranchers on public lands and what that relationship should be with wild predators, but very little is being said for individuals who are engaging in their everyday lives that have to contend with our apex predators on a daily basis. His perspective and experiences were quite informative. Enjoy!The Ranch Podcast Legislative Session episodes are supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. www.theRanchPodcast.orgThe Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and information in the Treasure Valley and great state of Idaho. The Boise area is home to many counties and ways of life. It’s also home to many law enforcement agencies, like Ada County and Canyon county Sheriff offices, Idaho State Police, Eagle Police Department, Meridian Police Department, and many more. The school systems in the area are also quite diverse. Boise school district and West Ada School District, though right next to each other, are quite different. Ada County is also home to our state capital and many of our elected officials. The Ranch Podcast is shot just north of Eagle, Idaho. If you’re interested in producing a podcast or need content of any kind, please feel free to reach out to Matt at Matt@MTUStudios.com

Dr. Julie Yamamoto is a former Idaho State representative and chair of the house education committee, and is also currently on the board of several charter schools. She is a member of the group Idaho Children Are Primary and has insights into the difficulty with educating large populations of people and what we can do to improve our system. Enjoy!The Ranch Podcast Legislative Session episodes are supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. www.theRanchPodcast.orgThe Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and information in the Treasure Valley and great state of Idaho. The Boise area is home to many counties and ways of life. It’s also home to many law enforcement agencies, like Ada County and Canyon county Sheriff offices, Idaho State Police, Eagle Police Department, Meridian Police Department, and many more. The school systems in the area are also quite diverse. Boise school district and West Ada School District, though right next to each other, are quite different. Ada County is also home to our state capital and many of our elected officials. The Ranch Podcast is shot just north of Eagle, Idaho. If you’re interested in producing a podcast or need content of any kind, please feel free to reach out to Matt at Matt@MTUStudios.com

Soñia Galaviz is a District 16 Representative, a teacher, and a champion for addressing the problems with our rural school funding system. Funding for public schools in Idaho has a lot of pieces, including gross property value of the area, attendance in schools, and community willingness to fund said schools. This comes into conflict frequently with the constitutional obligation to provide a free public education to all Idaho children who want it as our rural schools have difficulty with tax bases and community capacity to self fund. Rep. Galaviz is working to address this problem. Enjoy!The Ranch Podcast Legislative Session episodes are supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. www.theRanchPodcast.orgThe Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and information in the Treasure Valley and great state of Idaho. The Boise area is home to many counties and ways of life. It’s also home to many law enforcement agencies, like Ada County and Canyon county Sheriff offices, Idaho State Police, Eagle Police Department, Meridian Police Department, and many more. The school systems in the area are also quite diverse. Boise school district and West Ada School District, though right next to each other, are quite different. Ada County is also home to our state capital and many of our elected officials. The Ranch Podcast is shot just north of Eagle, Idaho. If you’re interested in producing a podcast or need content of any kind, please feel free to reach out to Matt at Matt@MTUStudios.com

David Lent a District 33 Senator and recently waded into the School Choice discussion. Many people have criticized School Choice bills for having little or no accountability from the state on private schools that get state funding. Senator Lent has proposed a version of this but also indicated that if we are going to offer private schools funds with no strings attached, then we should do the same for public schools while still observing Federal Requirements. He also educated me on the movement to preserve or at least offer preference to Idaho residents within the Parks and Rec world. Idaho is the worst kept secret in the nation and its beautiful state parks and attractions have been flooded with out of state visitors in recent years. This pushes out families and traditions in Idaho, but the Idaho state government is working to fix that. Enjoy!The Ranch Podcast Legislative Session episodes are supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. www.theRanchPodcast.orgThe Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and information in the Treasure Valley and great state of Idaho. The Boise area is home to many counties and ways of life. It’s also home to many law enforcement agencies, like Ada County and Canyon county Sheriff offices, Idaho State Police, Eagle Police Department, Meridian Police Department, and many more. The school systems in the area are also quite diverse. Boise school district and West Ada School District, though right next to each other, are quite different. Ada County is also home to our state capital and many of our elected officials. The Ranch Podcast is shot just north of Eagle, Idaho. If you’re interested in producing a podcast or need content of any kind, please feel free to reach out to Matt at Matt@MTUStudios.com