Proposal To Boost Sales Tax Still Alive Panel Agrees To Open Debate On School Construction Bill

A $60 million proposal to pay for school construction by raising the Idaho sales tax survived its first battle Wednesday, but lawmakers said the bill is doomed to fail.

After attempts to kill the measure, the House Taxation and Revenue Committee agreed to debate Idaho School Superintendent Anne Fox’s bill that would increase the sales tax by one-half of one percent.

Local school districts could use the $60 million to build schools, make repairs and buy land. The law would require districts to use one-third of the money to pay off bond debts - a move that Fox said would give residents property tax relief.

However, lawmakers made it clear the measure likely will die, as it has for the past two years.

Fox said $738 million is needed to make repairs, install technology and compensate for increased student enrollment in Idaho schools. Because the state doesn’t help local school districts with maintenance and building costs, it’s been difficult for taxpayers to shoulder the burden of decrepit schools and soaring enrollment, Fox said.

Bonds, which require two-thirds voter approval, also are difficult to pass.

Communities such as Bonner County, where residents make an average of $20,000 a year, are struggling to maintain schools, Fox said.

The Bonner County School District would receive $1.2 million if Fox’s measure passes.

Idaho’s 121 school districts would receive money based on a ratio of daily student attendance and the amount of state money a district receives.

That means the Coeur d’ Alene School District would get $1.8 million, the Boundary County District would receive $399,000 and the Wallace District would get $208,000.

Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Nampa, said maintaining schools is the responsibility of local taxpayers, not the state.

“Sure, it’s a taxpayer relief one place, but it’s a swap,” Taylor said. “It’s an additional tax either way.”

Rep. Frank Bruneel, R-Lewiston, agreed to hear the bill only if Fox guaranteed that residents’ property tax bills would decrease if state sales tax money were used to pay off a district’s bond.

Fox said property tax bills may not decrease, but taxpayers would save money because districts could pay off their debts sooner.

Boise State University’s annual Idaho Public Policy Survey, released Tuesday, shows that 68 percent of residents surveyed support increased spending for public education.

“The buildings need help, and the state needs to help them,” Fox said.

, DataTimes