Batt Drops School Aid Opposition Building Backlog Sparks Reversal

Idaho Gov. Phil Batt has dropped his long-standing objections to helping school districts win approval of construction bonds.

With a backlog of school building maintenance and construction estimated at $740 million, Batt agrees with the state Board of Education that the districts “definitely need a tremendous amount of help.”

During a two-hour discussion at the College of Southern Idaho on Thursday, the governor was not specific about the kind of proposal he will put before the Legislature in January, but he indicated afterward that he might recommend a change in the two-thirds supermajority needed to secure bond approval.

Supermajority critics contend the construction backlog has been growing statewide because a minority of property taxpayers can thwart the will of the majority. The most recent example was earlier this week in Dubois, where a $3.4 million bond to replace an 83-year-old school building got a clear majority but fell 50 votes short of the two-thirds requirement.

The Post Falls School District, forced by three straight bond failures, began double-shifting in grades six through eight this year to alleviate overcrowding. The last bond proposal to build a high school failed, even though 63 percent of voters favored the measure. Just 200 more votes would have won the city a new school.

Districts throughout North Idaho ask voters to approve property tax increases for schools even though patrons believe it’s partly the state’s responsibility.

In a list of “frequently asked questions” published by the Kellogg School District in advance of an Oct. 28 bond election, the district agreed with patrons: The state should carry some of the burden for building schools.

“To change the current focus would take a legislative act,” wrote Kellogg Superintendent Greg Godwin. “So in reality, we are locked into the current system of funding school district building programs which involve a commitment of the local taxpayer.”

Since taking office in 1995, Batt has opposed any marked change in the two-thirds majority for passing bond issues, agreeing with its advocates that the supermajority remains one of the best property tax protections the state has. In addition, Batt has said he doubts any reduction in the supermajority would clear the Legislature. An attempt last year failed to win even a majority in the Senate, where the measure needed a two-thirds vote to pass.

While he has conceded the magnitude of the building needs of Idaho’s 112 school districts, the governor has argued that if districts cut out frills to keep bond totals low and then aggressively sell the bond plans to patrons, they will be approved.

The one proposition he has backed has been requiring school districts to comply with the election consolidation law that limits balloting to four days a year. Simply moving school bond elections to one of those major voting days, the governor has said, should heighten their legitimacy and credibility with skeptical voters.

Batt also told the state board that he will include cash in his 1999 budget for a state Head Start program, saying that he believes early childhood development is much more important than he previously thought.

“It has never come to the focus in my mind that it has now,” the governor said.

In addition, Batt said he has directed Department of Health and Welfare Director Linda Caballero to set up a task force on improving early childhood education. He said an increased emphasis on the early grades in his hometown of Wilder has reduced the dropout rate dramatically among its heavily Hispanic population.

The governor rejected a suggestion from board member Harold Davis of Idaho Falls that the board be given a one-time allocation from any surplus in the current budget to use for whatever programs it deems necessary.

Batt said he might consider a diversion for a specific purpose, but more importantly, he questioned whether any amount of uncommitted cash could be viewed as a surplus, considering the unmet demands on the state budget.

“If we wind up with a surplus of something like $10 million, there are plenty of homes for this,” he said.

, DataTimes