LEVIES: Consolidation would help

There was an article in a local print publication recently that referenced Museum of North Idaho, stating that in 1948, Idaho had 1,000 school districts voted to consolidate into 115 public school districts! Even 115 public school districts is way too many, with 44 counties and just over 1.6 million state population.

The state Legislature needs to reduce this extreme rip-off of taxpayers from 115 public school districts to only one per county, give more to teachers and classified school employees, not so many higher paid individuals. It appears reorganization is essential to cut costs.

We lived in Nevada 36 years and Nevada has 23 counties. Even with a larger state population, now of 4-plus million, we never saw one school levy there. I don’t know how Nevada funds its public schools, but their funding must be adequate as not to have taxpayers ripped off by levies so often, as this area does.

I can imagine Nevada’s low number of school districts must have something to do with their lack of taxpayer school levies for funding. Please, if you feel like we do, write to Idaho legislators and State Board of Education with concern.

MONTE HILLMAN

Rathdrum