Education: Priority 1 for Idaho
Idaho’s 275,000 public school students are accomplishing remarkable things. They continue to outpace their peers across the nation on every standardized test that comes their way. Moreover, they are learning how to become caring and compassionate human beings as demonstrated by the numerous fundraising events they have organized to help the earthquake victims in Haiti.
These academic and personal developments do not happen in a vacuum. They start in our homes and communities and are nurtured in our public schools.
Neither do these achievements occur in the best of circumstances. Seven years ago our schools had the 9th most crowded classrooms in the country and Idaho’s ranking for per student expenditures was 41st. As recently as five years ago, the average salary paid our teachers rated 30th.
Now Idaho has the sixth largest class sizes in the nation, spends the 47th lowest amount per student, and pays teachers the 41st lowest salaries in the country.
Based on legislative revenue projections, the General Fund appropriation for public schools could be as much as $155 million lower next year. What does $155 million mean for Idaho’s public schools?
· $564 for every Idaho public school student; or
· 29 days of school; or
· Salaries for 5,014 new teachers earning $30,915; or
· All state funding for: transportation for every Idaho school district, the Idaho Digital Learning Academy, Safe and Drug Free School programs, technology, Idaho Reading Initiative, Limited English Proficiency programs, Gifted and Talented teacher training, classroom supplies, textbook allowance, ISAT remediation, the math initiative, and the salaries for 983 new teachers earning $30,915.
While it’s unlikely schools will close six weeks early next year or one-third of our teachers will be laid off, any combination of these options will damage the quality of education we provide.
Legislators are quick to remind everyone that they have a constitutional obligation to balance the budget. Legislators have another constitutional obligation as well — to fund “a general, uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools.” Can anyone argue that legislators will have funded a “thorough” system of public schools if they slash school budgets by more than 10 percent?
When Idaho faced a revenue shortfall a in 2002, the Legislature agreed with Gov. Dirk Kempthorne’s proposal to raise the sales tax temporarily. That idea might not be the best way to address this crisis, but it is beyond my imagination why policymakers seem determined only to turn over the rocks that produce cuts and ignore those that might add revenue.
For example, we could:
·Collect all of the taxes already due to the state
·Suspend the election consolidation measure passed last session
·Put the grocery tax credit increase on hold
·Pass a one-time income tax surcharge for higher wage-earners
·Eliminate some sales tax exemptions
·Revisit the property tax shift that was enacted in 2006
There are plenty of ideas out there to help address this problem if lawmakers exercise the political will necessary to adopt them.
Legislators have the dual responsibility of representing their constituents and providing leadership to move our state forward. A decade from now, what will Idaho citizens say about this time in our history?
Will they say: “Thank you for not raising taxes in 2010, even though my children’s education was shortchanged and they are now finding it difficult to compete in a global economy.” Or will they say: “Thank you for meeting your constitutional obligation so our children received a ‘thorough’ education which has made it possible for them to become productive, taxpaying citizens.”