Class in session: Education spending grabs spotlight

COEUR d'ALENE - The 2011 legislative session kicked off Monday with a recommendation from Gov. Butch Otter to keep funding for the state's kindergarten to 12th-grade schools intact for the next fiscal year.

While public school funding will not be slashed beyond the unprecedented $128 million removed from the state education budget last year, the governor made it clear they will be taking a long, hard look at how those dollars are spent.

"We're going to focus on the students coming out of that classroom. That's going to be our priority," Otter told reporters during a press conference following his State of the State address. "The reform, or changes that we're going to make, are going to emphasize that the priority is the students and how much they've learned, not so much how much we spend."

If lawmakers support the governor's education budget as it stands, state spending on schools in Idaho will increase by about $21 million in 2012, most of which will cover projected annual growth in the number of students attending Idaho schools.

Post Falls Superintendent Jerry Keane earlier heard that education would likely be facing another cut, so news that Otter is proposing to largely leave that funding alone took him aback. Although, any plan that doesn't require more cuts is welcoming news.

"I am a little surprised to hear that the governor is proposing a status quo K-12 state budget," Keane said.

Keane declined to comment on the comprehensive reform package until details are disclosed. The announcement came as a surprise, he said.

"We will certainly be interested in hearing what the changes might be," Keane said. "We have not been consulted or advised regarding any changes."

Coeur d'Alene Superintendent Hazel Bauman was also surprised to hear of the governor's budget recommendation.

Regarding the other education goals alluded to by Otter during his speech - improved graduation rates, end of course assessments, increased availability of "highly qualified teachers" - Bauman said the Coeur d'Alene district is already "ahead of the curve" with measures in place that already exceed many state benchmarks.

"Gov. Otter in his State of the State says we have to turn back to personal responsibility. I totally agree with that," Bauman said.

She said the district works hard with the students and their families as partners in the education process.

Bauman believes it is important to measure how well students are learning, not just whether teachers are teaching well.

Idaho's top education official, Tom Luna, joined Otter during the post-address press conference which was broadcast on the Idaho Education Network, with reporters attending by video conference from several remote sites throughout the state.

Luna said he will lay out the specifics of the proposed changes Wednesday morning before the joint House and Senate education committees.

"The plan that we're going to roll out, and the budget that's attached to it, hits the governor's target number for education funds," Luna said.

The focus is to "change the current system to a system that is student-centered and focused on teaching more kids at a higher level with restricted revenue," Luna said.

Determining teacher compensation is one area Otter and Luna will be looking at.

"That is going to be our focus, and that is rewarding the best teachers that have the most success with those students as they exit those classes," Otter said. The Idaho Education Association, the state's teacher's union, issued a statement following the press conference.

"Schools have already faced budget cuts of $200 million over the past two years. Idaho parents and business leaders know that at a time like this, our children don't need gimmicks," the statement read. "They need a solid education that will help them succeed as adults and citizens in the 21st century. In this session, lawmakers must focus like lasers on minimizing further damage - not taking up unnecessary and gimmicky new policy proposals."

The governor's budget recommendation is based on a "modest but responsible 3-percent growth rate."

Most agencies, other than education, will see their budgets pared by at least 2.2- percent, some as much as 3.5 percent.

The budget was created, Otter said, without anticipation of any mid-year holdbacks.

Staff reporter Brian Walker and the Associated Press contributed to this report.