New charter school to focus on agriculture

By Sean Ellis

Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

BOISE – Coming soon to Canyon County: Idaho’s first charter school dedicated to turning out agriculturally literate students prepared to enter the industry’s workforce.

The target date to open is 2028, according to Sue Lux, who is leading the charge to open the tuition-free public charter school, which will be known as Idaho AgriTech Academy.

Idaho agriculture leaders want a talent pipeline and AgriTech plans to help provide it, she said.

The goal of the school will be simple: Turning out employees and leaders of Idaho’s main industry – agriculture.

“We want to develop the leaders of the state’s agriculture industry,” Lux said. “We want to set the kids up to do anything they want in agriculture. They can go right into the workforce or they’ll be well equipped for post-secondary programs.”

Lux is a graduate of Leadership Idaho Agriculture, the state’s premier ag leadership program that seeks to educate and equip a network of leaders who advocate for Idaho agriculture.

The AgriTech idea was pitched to Lux by Bluum, which is partly funded through the Joe and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation and specializes in charter school incubation.

“This idea was born about a decade ago and they’ve been working on it, looking at different angles and exploring it,” said Lux, who is now spearheading it. “Idaho agriculture deserves a school built for its future.”

The charter school was approved unanimously by the Idaho Public Charter School Commission in April.

This is the school’s mission statement: Idaho AgriTech Academy equips students with the knowledge, skills and entrepreneurial mindset to thrive in modern agriculture through hands-on learning, community partnerships and a rigorous STEM-integrated curriculum.”

Idaho Barley Commission Communications Manager Sydney Anderson said she is excited about the new charter school because teaching the next generation where their food comes from and how natural resources are managed creates informed citizens and future leaders.

“As Idaho continues to welcome more families from urban areas, agricultural literacy is more important than ever,” she said. “As a leading agricultural state, Idaho has an incredible opportunity to lead the nation in agricultural education. Idaho AgriTech Academy is an exciting step toward preparing students for meaningful careers and strengthening our state's future."

When Anderson went through Leadership Idaho Agriculture, she wrote and presented a speech to the governor on the need for more support within agriculture education.

“Agricultural education has had a profound impact on my own life, opening doors to opportunities and a career I'm passionate about,” she said.

Lux said she was surprised to discover there are no charter schools in Idaho dedicated to agriculture and she jumped at the opportunity to create the first.

Planned career pathways at AgriTech Academy will include animal and veterinary sciences; agribusiness and entrepreneurship; horticulture and plant sciences; ag mechanics, welding, and precision ag; STEM-focused coursework connected to agriculture.

Lux said pathways could evolve based on student interest and community partnerships.

“We’ll branch out further from there, but that’s where we’re starting,” she said.

Supporters of AgriTech are partnering closely with the College of Western Idaho and are seeking a location around the Nampa-Caldwell area.

AgriTech students will be required to do internships, externships, and supervised agricultural experiences as part of their graduation requirement. FFA will be heavily integrated in the school.

Lux, who has worked in the charter school arena for 25 years, said the school will be looking to create partnerships with different segments of the state’s agriculture industry.

When they graduate, AgriTech students will be well-equipped to participate in Idaho’s agriculture industry, Lux said. “We don’t want to send kids out that are not ready. We really want to create agricultural-literate students.”

The idea is to open the first year with grades nine through 11 and then add 12th grade the second year. The school is looking at having 300 students the first year and 400 the second year.

Lux said the idea behind AgriTech is to give students a well-rounded education centered around the agriculture industry, but the school will also focus on helping students develop leadership and communication skills.

“We are also going to focus on those soft skills that are a little bit missing,” she said. “Being able to talk to people, being able to talk in front of people, being able to pick up the phone and call somebody instead of just texting.”

People can find out more about AgriTech at idahoagritechacademy.org.

Lux said AgriTech supporters are seeking community input on what should be included in the school. She said they are also forming a technical advisory committee and would like industry people to tell them what the needs and challenges are for the agricultural labor market.

Once the AgriTech idea gets ironed out, “I could see it expanding into other regions of Idaho,” Lux said.