Idaho governor to remain focused on education in 2018

BOISE, Idaho - Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter says once again he's committed to growing and improving education in Idaho as he prepares for the 2018 legislative session.

Otter briefly spoke about his agenda at the annual conference of Associated Taxpayers of Idaho - a popular event attended by hundreds of lawmakers, lobbyists and business officials.

Otter says the key reason education remains a priority is because there are currently 24,000 jobs in Idaho that aren't filled largely due to a lack of education among the state's workforce.

In 2013, Otter appointed a task force that focused identifying K-12 education reforms. The task force's work eventually resulted in 20 educational reforms that are still being implemented. This includes a multi-year effort to boost teacher pay designed to retain and attract educators.