The few, the strong, the voters

Tuesday was indeed a good day for public education in Kootenai County.

Never mind that voter turnout was anemic, with fewer than 18 of every 100 registered voters across three school districts bothering to exercise that right. We live in an age of minority rule for almost all elections, but perhaps there's some justice in the fact that those who care most will carry the most sway. The ignorant and the apathetic? Life goes on without them, maybe more effectively than it would with them.

In the aftermath of Coeur d'Alene School District voters strongly supporting a $32.7 million bond to bring suffering school buildings up to reasonable standards, there's been heated debate on the blogs about what that support means.

Some interpret it as a vote of confidence for the fledgling school board. Some see it as support for teachers and administrators. Some see it as support for the district's Long Range Planning Committee, which essentially crafted the request.

We see all three; and then some.

The measure likely would not have passed if voters believed that the purse-string holders - members of the school board - were incompetent or unethical. Further, the conservative makeup of the board lent some credence to the notion that raising these tax dollars in a difficult time was justified. The arguments of "no tax increase at any cost" citizens were neutralized by school board members who share many of their political and fiscal perspectives but drew the line clearly at giving our kids safe, healthy environments in which to learn.

The Long Range Planning Committee was rewarded with the election results because its volunteers did their homework, slashed unnecessary fat from the request and worked hard to help educate citizens about the buildings' needs. And while most of the focus was correctly directed at the district's children, voters no doubt wanted the same safe, healthy places for district employees to work. Don't forget, either, that one of the strong selling points of the bond was the economic impact all that work will have on our community.

What we find most encouraging - and most apparent from the vote results Tuesday - is that most voters respect the place of importance education holds here. Approval of the three districts' measures was testament to the commitment citizens have to give educators sufficient resources to do their jobs. They should reasonably expect to benefit from that investment.