Don’T Wait, Time For Action Is Now

The Idaho Legislature just received a much-needed wake-up call. The state Supreme Court has reinstated a lawsuit filed against the state by a group of school districts that can’t afford to fix their crumbling school buildings.

Lawmakers have known for years that many Idaho public school buildings are in bad shape. A recent survey of school districts shows that $100 million needs to be spent on safety fixes alone. And a 1993 study indicated that $700 million in new construction was needed.

Idaho is the only state that provides no money for school construction and requires a two-thirds vote for school bonds.

Legislators suddenly are concerned now that the Supreme Court has legitimized a key issue in the lawsuit: whether the neglect of school buildings violates the state Constitution’s requirement for a thorough public education. Lawmakers fear the courts could order the state to help pay for school construction.

The state might head off such a ruling, by doing the right thing. Several proposals have surfaced already:

Legislators could set up a $30 million annual fund, similar in size to its existing “rainy day” fund that would provide a 30 percent match to local districts. This would represent 1.9 percent of the state’s $1.6 billion general fund budget. One way to find that money: close some of the loopholes in the sales tax code, for such things as professional services.

Rep. Tom Trail, R-Moscow, proposes a surcharge on the state income tax to replace the property tax and pay for maintenance and operation of schools and interest on school bonds.

Trail also wants to reduce the two-thirds voting requirement to 60 percent for bond votes held during primary and general elections. This is a good idea. The 67 percent supermajority rule has stopped many willing communities from fixing their schools.

Senate President Pro-tem Jerry Twiggs, R-Blackfoot, suggests a special school safety levy that would make it easier for districts to raise taxes. That doesn’t address the fact that areas with weak tax bases, like Boundary County, can’t afford higher tax rates.

Idaho’s Legislature ought to accept its constitutional and moral responsibility to children before it gets another, more devastating wake-up call: such as a substandard roof that collapses on students, or a boiler that explodes beneath an occupied classroom, or a fire that traps children in a building without adequate fire escapes.