Schools Given Priority In Idaho Higher Sales Taxes Supported If Money Goes To Improve Education, Poll Shows

Most Idaho residents strongly support increasing sales taxes to improve education.

Some 61 percent like the idea if the money goes to boosting early childhood education, according to a poll for The Idaho Spokesman-Review, conducted by Mason-Dixon Political/Media Research. In addition, 55 percent favor higher sales taxes to improve higher education.

More than 1,200 Idaho voters were interviewed for the poll between Sept. 1 and Sept. 3. The margin of error is 2.9 percent.

The poll also found, however, that voters don’t favor tuition tax credits for parents sending their children to private schools. Nor would most send their children to charter schools.

Overall, “they may be saying let’s deal with the problems we have and let’s fix public schools,” said Del Ali, with Maxon-Dixon.

Perhaps most interesting in the education arena, considering Idaho’s reputation for loathing the federal government, is support for national academic standards.

All of these results make sense, said James Weatherby, of Boise State University’s Public Policy Center. Idahoans always have put a high priority on public schools and children’s issues have been getting more and more attention, he said.

“Sales taxes have always been popular, if you can call a tax popular,” Weatherby said. “People view it as a fair tax that everybody pays and it’s fairly invisible - part of the price of the commodity.”

Deanna Ashley of Coeur d’Alene, one of the people interviewed for the poll, echoes that strong pro-education sentiment. “If our children don’t have a good education, what’s our future?” she asked.

Adds Kathy Bengston of Nampa, “Three and 4-year-olds should be in school” because younger children learn better.

Patricia Andrew, of Rupert, is a cautious supporter of the increase. Her answer is yes, if the money really goes to education.

The poll also found 57 percent of respondents favoring a sales tax increase to pay for better state highways. That finding surprised Weatherby, who says people see roads as a priority but normally want a gasoline tax to pay the way.

Fred Krause of Coeur d’Alene agrees. “I’d pay 2 cents more a gallon just to get them to paint white lines on the road,” he said.

But he said he doesn’t expect the state to improve U.S. Highway 95 any time soon.

Idahoans are split on whether sales taxes ought to be increased in order to hire more police, with 47 percent in favor, 46 percent opposed and 7 percent undecided.

Meanwhile, more than 80 percent approve of changes in Idaho’s welfare system that mean able-bodied people must have a job within two years. Bengston, of Nampa, isn’t one of those.

“I think they should do it on a case-by-case basis,” she said. Her sister has a lot of health problems and has four children.

The latest child was the result of a rape and her sister didn’t want to have an abortion, Bengston said.

Weatherby said it’s natural that people still like Idaho’s new approach to welfare.

“We don’t know what the effects are yet,” he said. “People were lopped off the rolls and we don’t know where they went.