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This episode breaks down a new Idaho law impacting teachers unions, but more importantly, what it reveals about how policy actually works in practice. This isn’t just about unions. It’s about systems, processes, and what happens when infrastructure quietly shifts underneath schools.

Segment Breakdown:

1. Radiator Capping (process shift): Bypassing the normal legislative process changes how policy gets vetted, debated, and understood.

2. What HB 516 Actually Does: It does not ban unions, it restricts how districts interact with them.

3. Payroll Deduction Ban: Districts can no longer deduct union dues from paychecks.

4. Broad Definition of Union Activity: The law creates gray areas, making it unclear what qualifies, thus increasing risk for districts.

5. Representation Still Exists--With Conditions: Unions can still represent teachers, but now with added administrative burden and reimbursement requirements.

6. Majority Requirement (Not New): The 50% + 1 threshold remains, but verification and compliance expectations are tighter.

7. Facility Use & District Partnerships: Unclear guidance will likely lead districts to act more cautiously.

8. Who This Applies To: The law targets teachers unions specifically, not all unions.

9. Governor Little's Position: He signed the law, but raised concerns about overreach and ambiguity.

10. The Bigger Impact: This isn't just political, it affects infrastructure, trust, and the ability for systems to work together.

Find Alexis on Instagram and JOIN in the conversation: https://www.instagram.com/the_idaho_lady/

JOIN the convo on Substack & STAY up-to-date with emails and posts https://substack.com/@theidaholady?r=5katbx&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page

Send Alexis an email with guest requests, ideas, or potential collaboration.
email@thealexismorgan.com

Find great resources, info on school communities, and other current projects regarding public policy:
https://www.thealexismorgan.com

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Lately I’ve been asking myself a question.

Have we forgotten the stories that built the communities we live in today… or were many of us never really taught them in the first place?

In this reflective solo episode, Alexis explores the stories that shaped her understanding of service and community, from Anne Frank and a Holocaust survivor who visited her classroom, to her immigrant grandfather’s journey to America in 1914, to visiting Minidoka National Historic Site with her children.

She also shares the story of discovering the Idaho PTA archives, the work of 35 mothers who founded the organization in 1905, and reflects on the legacy of Rebecca Brown Mitchell, a pioneer teacher and the first woman to serve as chaplain of the Idaho Legislature.

This episode isn’t about politics. It’s about something deeper: how history, family stories, and community memory shape who we are, and why staying connected to those stories still matters today.

Because maybe the work of civic life isn’t about shouting louder or retreating further. Maybe it begins with remembering where we come from and recognizing that our individual stories are part of something larger.

Find Alexis on Instagram and JOIN in the conversation: https://www.instagram.com/the_idaho_lady/

JOIN the convo on Substack & STAY up-to-date with emails and posts https://substack.com/@theidaholady?r=5katbx&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page

Send Alexis an email with guest requests, ideas, or potential collaboration.
email@thealexismorgan.com

Find great resources, info on school communities, and other current projects regarding public policy:
https://www.thealexismorgan.com

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Budgets aren’t flashy and they’re usually not the most fun thing to talk about. But when the Idaho Senate rejected the state’s largest budget bill the $5.7 billion Health and Welfare budget it revealed deeper tensions inside the Legislature over fiscal responsibility, Medicaid spending, and recent tax cuts. In this episode of The Purple Zone,

I break down:

1. How Idaho’s budget process works,

2. Why the Senate rejected the proposal, and

3. Work to connect the policy to our everyday language and lives, because budgets are where government decisions become real for communities.

Find Alexis on Instagram and JOIN in the conversation: https://www.instagram.com/the_idaho_lady/

JOIN the convo on Substack & STAY up-to-date with emails and posts https://substack.com/@theidaholady?r=5katbx&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page

Send Alexis an email with guest requests, ideas, or potential collaboration.
email@thealexismorgan.com

Find great resources, info on school communities, and other current projects regarding public policy:
https://www.thealexismorgan.com