Panel Pushes State Help For Schools Committee Also Favors Reducing Margin Of Vote Needed For Levies

A committee asked by state schools Superintendent Anne Fox to consider options for addressing Idaho’s enormous backlog of school building needs strongly favors state help for struggling local districts.

The panel of legislators, state and local officials and citizen representatives also generally supports the idea of reducing to 60 percent the two-thirds supermajority of local voters required by the Idaho Constitution to approve property-tax-financed bond issues.

But beyond vague support for the idea of matching local funds with state money, a survey of committee members showed there is little consensus on what to do about Idaho’s crumbling school buildings.

“We’re going to keep at it ‘til we get some solutions,” Fox said. “There’s got to be a solution.”

While polls indicate the public is willing to pay more for education, Senate Education Committee chairman Gary Schroeder said that position has not translated into legislative support. Whether it is easing the bond issue approval requirement or increasing Idaho’s 5 percent sales tax to help tackle what five years ago was more than $700 million in facility needs, the Moscow Republican said education supporters need to press their case.

“It’s very difficult to get any kind of a tax increase through this Legislature,” Schroeder said. “A starting point is letting the legislators know how the people feel.”

Fox said on Tuesday that at least $23 million a year more from the state endowment fund should be available if voters approve a measure on the Nov. 3 ballot amending the Idaho Constitution to provide more flexibility in the fund’s management.

The survey of committee members showed most liked the idea of dedicating that increased revenue to school facilities needs. And even more supported some type of matching-funds approach to helping local school districts, perhaps with the additional endowment fund revenue as the state’s share.