Panel Comes Up With School Funds $6 Million In Savings May Be Applied To School Construction

The first school-construction plan of the legislative session that actually identifies some money surfaced Monday in the budget committee.

Rep. Kitty Gurnsey, R-Boise, co-chairman of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, said $6 million in unexpected savings from school operations this year should be set aside to fund school construction next year.

The proposal received immediate support from state schools Superintendent Anne Fox, who told legislative budget-writers, “That would be a tremendous way to start helping our schools.”

The money is available because more teachers retired than expected this year, to be replaced by lower-paid, less-experienced teachers, and 1,300 fewer students enrolled than had been projected. So it will cost $7 million less than expected to run Idaho schools this year.

Gurnsey said that when the committee starts setting budgets, it should earmark $6 million of that money for building schools. The remaining $1 million could be used to fund non-construction needs.

That would be a departure for the state, which now leaves school construction entirely to local property taxpayers. Idaho is the only state in the nation that both requires a two-thirds vote to pass a school construction bond and gives local taxpayers the full bill.

Fast-growing North Idaho school districts have had difficulty getting bonds passed to build schools. In the past decade, for example, Post Falls has built one school for 600 students. But it has gained 1,200.

Fox and Gurnsey, who in the past have clashed over budget issues, both had praise for each other Monday. Fox called Gurnsey’s idea “pretty creative.”

A state study a few years ago showed Idaho needs to spend $700 million just to bring its current school buildings up to par and handle growing enrollment.

“We’ve got to start someplace,” Fox said.

Gurnsey praised Fox for bringing the committee a proposal showing how her department can function under the governor’s $689.5 million budget recommendation. Fox had sought $710.5 million.

Fox is being realistic, Gurnsey said.

Fox has expressed concern that the governor’s budget may be too tight to allow raises for teachers who have more than 13 years of experience, which puts them off the salary schedule that grants raises for each additional year. Nearly half of Idaho’s teachers fall in that category, Fox said.

But Gurnsey said, “I really do think that the teachers in the classroom should all get a raise in pay.”

Although the public school budget likely will be set at the governor’s lower number, Gurnsey said, “I think there’s room basically to massage some of the figures.”

, DataTimes