Letter to the Editor

Voters believe in schools

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Dear editor:

Congratulations to the people of the Mountain Home School District! By passing the recent two-year maintenance and operation levy, you have shown your commitment to the children of this community and the high value you place on education.

Thanks to you, the district superintendent anticipates that no further cuts in programs or services will have to be made.

Mountain Home is not alone. Since 1999, the number of schools running supplemental levies has jumped from 41 to 94 -- out of 115 school districts. Today, nearly four out of every five school districts in this state depends upon supplemental property taxes to keep their doors open. This was a well-orchestrated shift onto local taxpayers as GOP leaders cut taxes for the wealthy and well-connected corporations and paid for those cuts by slashing education support.

Now let's remember that this is not the way public schools were meant to be funded. The Idaho Constitution clearly places the burden on the state legislature, not individual school districts, to fund education.

Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution reads as follows: "LEGISLATURE TO ESTABLISH SYSTEM OF FREE SCHOOLS. The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people, it shall be the duty of the legislature of Idaho, to establish and maintain a general, uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools."

For too many years the Republican leadership in the statehouse has not shouldered this constitutional duty. They like to say education is a high priority, but their actions show otherwise.

They congratulate themselves on a 2014-15 education budget with a 5.1% increase over last year -- a budget that is about at the 2008 level, even though we have 14,000 additional students and substantial increases in general costs. Meanwhile, Idaho is at or near the bottom in every measure of student achievement.

We all know that more money is not the only answer to improving our schools. But base adequate funding for education is necessary. It is the responsibility of the legislature, and they are failing to provide it.

Mountain Home has just given crucial temporary support to the school district by passing this levy. Now let's take a second step to ensure a better future for our children. Look for new state leaders who will take their responsibilities to Idaho's children as seriously as we do.

-- Stephen V. Goddard