Study Questions Ed Funding Failure

A report released today by the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy questions whether the state is meeting its constitutional duty to “maintain a general, uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools.” The report is authored by the center’s director Mike Ferguson , who was also Idaho’s chief economist for 25 years. “One of the things I wanted to draw attention to is that unlike most state programs, public school funding is enshrined in the state constitution, it is basically different,” Ferguson says. More here. Findings:

• Public school funding has significantly decreased over the last 13 years.
• Tax cuts and increased funding of Medicaid have been the two biggest reasons why education funding has declined.
• Because of property tax differences and local levy options, school districts are not being funded equally, as required by the state constitution.

Thoughts?