Need And Danger Painfully Apparent

It’s time for Dirk Kempthorne to act like a leader.

Idaho’s rural schools are crumbling and dangerous. The Legislature last year - for the umpteenth year in a row - failed to do anything about it. A governor-appointed committee reported last week that it doesn’t see a problem with the way school buildings are funded. The state Supreme Court disagrees and is poised to force the state to cough up some money.

All the while, the congenial Kempthorne has urged consensus. He apparently doesn’t want to make anyone mad by forcing the issue. But let’s face it: He’s the top Republican in a state that has no significant Democratic opposition. What’s the point of having such an all-powerful leader if he won’t do anything?

It’s not as if Kempthorne was unaware of the estimated $38 million to $48 million in safety problems at the schools. Children are attending schools that have wiring problems and no proper fire escapes. Old-fashioned boilers sit adjacent to elementary classrooms. One school superintendent quit last year because the 1905-vintage Troy High School remains a disaster waiting to happen.

The total school construction backlog, to address both safety concerns and overcrowding across the state, is estimated at anywhere from $250 million to $700 million.

Incredibly, some out-of-touch members of Kempthorne’s school committee don’t seem concerned. Boise attorney Raul Labrador said last week that it’s “outrageous” that small school districts are asking for help from the state. Labrador might reconsider if his kids attended school in Bonner County, where an inadequate gymnasium collapsed - during Christmas break, thank God - in 1996.

It’s going to be tough for Idaho politicians to reach consensus on how to address the school funding crisis when many of them obviously don’t think there’s a problem. That’s why Kempthorne’s leadership is so critical.

When the Legislature convenes in January, Kempthorne should make it clear that the school funding formula must change. Right now, Idaho is the toughest state in the nation in which to build a school. It’s the only state that requires both a two-thirds vote to pass a school bond and puts no state funds into building schools. That leaves local property taxpayers with the whole bill.

Preliminary court rulings indicate that the neglect of school buildings may violate the state’s constitutional requirement for a thorough public education. But it’s more than that. The state has a moral responsibility to children to make the schools safe.

If the Legislature won’t act on its own, Kempthorne needs to take charge. Let’s not wait for a tragedy to happen. Do something, governor.