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In this episode, Alexis sits down with Joey Palmer, a school administrator in the Treasure Valley (larger Boise area in Idaho), who’s taking a different approach to technology in the classroom. This isn’t about being anti-tech—it’s about asking better questions: When does technology actually improve learning, and when does it get in the way?

Joey shares how his district is shifting from tech as the default to tech as a tool, one that should be purposeful, powerful, and proportional. We talk about No-Tech Days, bell-to-bell phone expectations, and the return of more analog learning like paper drafting, face-to-face discussion, printed reading, and hands-on problem solving.

We also get into what classroom observations revealed about off-task device use, the mixed research behind EdTech programs, and the growing tension between reducing screen dependence while also preparing students for a future shaped by AI.

What stands out most about Joey is not just his willingness to challenge conventional thinking, but his openness to rethink his own ideas, engage perspectives that push him, and keep learning. This conversation is for educators, parents, and policymakers thinking seriously about the role of technology in schools.

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In this episode, Alexis sat down with Idaho Digital Learning Alliance (IDLA) Superintendent Dr. Jeff Simmons to unpack what really happened with HB 940 and related legislation and why this moment is about far more than online classes.

We break down the full policy landscape and the impacts on kids in the state? The 50% in funding cuts to IDLA means fewer courses, fewer enrollments, and a new reality for schools trying to meet student needs.

But here’s where it matters most:
IDLA isn’t just a program...it’s statewide infrastructure.

For many schools, especially in rural Idaho, it’s how students access required courses, dual credit, credit recovery, and pathways to graduation. When that access changes, the ripple effects don’t show up in headlines, they show up in student schedules, missed opportunities, and narrowed futures.

We also get into what lawmakers intended, where perception and reality diverged, and what it felt like to lead through a moment of statewide uncertainty.

This conversation ultimately asks a bigger question:

What does the state owe students when it comes to access?

Because this isn’t just about IDLA.
It’s about whether every Idaho student has what they need to succeed. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Idaho has had charter schools for nearly three decades. They were created to innovate, and the question today is: are they doing that? In this episode, I’m joined by Duncan Robb, education policy expert and the writer behind the Substack K–12 Education in Idaho (k12educationidaho.substack.com). We break down the basics, what charter schools are (and aren’t), how they’re governed, and the role of the Idaho Public Charter School Commission...then zoom out to the bigger policy design question: if charters were meant to be “labs of innovation,” who is responsible for making sure what works actually transfers to traditional public schools? We also talk through current education policy debates, including state testing, accountability, and what meaningful flexibility really looks like in practice. By the end of the conversation, it was clear we had only scratched the surface, so stay tuned for more conversations with Duncan as we continue digging into charter schools and education policy in Idaho. Bonus: Duncan and I don’t agree on everything, which makes for a fun conversation.

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Idaho ranks 50th in physicians per capita and 44th in primary care access. So what’s the real plan to fix it?

In this episode, I sit down with Representative Dustin Manwaring to break down Idaho’s Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) strategy, the proposed 36-month rollout, and how it intersects with the $1 billion Rural Health Transformation Grant.

We talk through the core problem the working group set out to solve and what “Train Here, Stay Here, Grow Here” actually means in practice and how it connects with workforce pipelines, residency expansion, and long-term retention?

We also dig into the definition of “rural.” Critical access hospitals? Small towns near metro hubs? Urban hospitals that support rural areas? How the taskforce defines rural will shape who benefits and how federal dollars are distributed.

Plus:

• How the UME plan intersects with the $1B rural investment
• What legislators are watching to ensure accountability
• Whether Idaho’s low resident-to-medical-student ratio limits retention
• The future of WWAMI and how new legislation could shift seat allocations
• Whether Idaho eventually needs its own full medical school

If this plan works, what will Idaho’s physician landscape look like 10 years from now?

This is a forward-looking conversation about workforce, access, and how policy decisions today shape healthcare for the next generation.

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Who actually has the power over elections in the United States — the federal government, the states, or the president?

Alexis takes you go back to the Constitution itself. Because here’s the truth: many adults have never been taught (or have near forgotten) how the Constitution is structured, where power is assigned, or why federalism exists in the first place. (This is a super basic/quick overview). When we don’t understand that structure, modern debates about elections can feel confusing, emotional, and disconnected from reality.

Alexis walks through the basics most people missed:

• how the Constitution is organized
• what the Articles actually assign to Congress, the President, and the courts
• where federalism lives in the text
• how the Bill of Rights — especially the 10th Amendment — draws a clear line between federal and state power

From there, she gets concrete about elections: who runs them, who sets guardrails, and why the president has no constitutional authority to administer or centralize elections.

To help frame today’s tensions, she puts two books into conversation — The Divided States of America by Donald F. Kettl and American Covenant by Yuval Levin — exploring whether federalism is a system that’s breaking down… or one that’s doing exactly what it was designed to do.

This episode isn’t about personalities or partisan talking points. It’s about structure, limits, and why understanding the Constitution changes how we see current events.

Because policy isn’t abstract. It’s personal. And federalism is where our disagreements are meant to live.

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When special education isn’t fully funded, the cost doesn’t disappear...it gets absorbed by families, classrooms, and educators.

In this solo episode of The Purple Zone, I unpack what underfunded special education actually looks like on the ground: for students whose needs go unmet, for teachers navigating behavior and safety challenges without enough support, and for families trying to advocate for their children in complex systems they didn’t design.

Through two personal stories and Idaho-specific context, this episode explores:

• how funding gaps create real tradeoffs for all students, not just those in special education,
• why some families experience far more strain than others when support falls short,
• how unmet mental health and behavioral needs show up in classrooms, and
• what changes when schools have the staffing, resources, and partnerships they need.

This isn’t a conversation about blame; it’s about design. Special education is a legal mandate, but it’s also a shared responsibility. When it’s underfunded, districts are forced into impossible choices, families carry heavier burdens, and educators are stretched thin.

And yet, partnership still matters. When schools and families work together, especially in times of constraint, the experience for students can change.

If you want to understand why special education funding affects the entire school community, and why addressing it is urgent...not someday, but now...this episode is for you.

Because policy isn’t abstract. It’s personal.

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The math ain’t mathing...and that’s not about blame, it’s about reality.

Yes this podcast has the words BUDGET, LEGISLATURE, DOGE, and GOVERNANCE...but I promise it's NOT boring--but rather something that is intended to help ALL Idahoans (and my friends in other states), understand and connect where you are right now--with governance choices. 

Idaho is entering the 2026 legislative session facing a significant budget challenge. Alexis doesn’t attempt to retrace every step that led to this moment, but instead acknowledges where the state is now...shaped by recent fiscal choices, and focuses on what that reality requires going forward.

We look at how past budget crises were softened by federal dollars, why that backstop doesn’t exist this time, and how recent fiscal choices have narrowed the state’s options. We also unpack what “efficiency” really means in public administration, including the role of New Public Management, the limits of treating budget decisions as neutral or technical, and Dwight Waldo’s (public admin scholar) reminder that efficiency is never value-free.

The episode also takes a closer look at Idaho’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), its stated goals, its work over the past several months, and what its outcomes tell us about incremental reform versus sweeping change. Along the way, we ask a key governance question: if limiting government is a priority, what do rising numbers of bills and new laws actually signal about the size and scope of the state?

This is a grounded, nonpartisan conversation about budgets, governance, and accountability AND why acknowledging the past is essential to navigating what comes next.

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