SCHOOLS: We must do better

The Coeur d’Alene Press editorial concerning “Lessons for Legislators” on Friday was right on the mark, though I might take it a bit further.

According to a survey by Education Week last year, Idaho ranks 47th in the country in quality of education. This was the 17th such survey by this publication and here’s what they had to say about Idaho.

• State score: 70.9

• State grade: C-

• High school graduation rate: 72.1 percent (21st lowest)

• Per pupil expenditure: $8,818 (6th lowest)

With a grade of D-, the state of Idaho received the worst marks for school finance. Idaho spent just over $8,800 per pupil in 2010, one of the lowest of all states. A September report by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities showed the state had, since fiscal 2008, cut per-student spending by both a larger percentage and dollar amount than almost all other states in the nation.

Idaho also ranked at the bottom for the teaching profession, with a grade of D-. Among other things, Idaho does not have policies in place to transfer pensions across state lines and does not provide financial incentives for teachers to earn national certification.

The reason I’m so interested in this is my son and his wife are thinking of moving away so their 2-year-old son (my grandson) doesn’t have to suffer from our school system. It breaks my heart to think of them moving away because our legislature has decimated our school budgets to this level. With the economy turning around it’s time to at least put the money back for education that has been cut. We can do better than this, Idaho.

Read more: States With the Best and Worst School Systems — 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/special-report/2013/01/16/states-with-the-best-and-worst-schools/#ixzz2pNi0VUky

JIM FREEMAN

Post Falls