Idaho Ed: A Race To The Bottom

Idaho ranks 50th in the nation for per-pupil spending on schools, a measurement for which the state perennially has scored a low ranking. Now, according to the latest U.S. census report released last week, Idaho’s ranking for per capita spending based on personal income in the state has dropped dramatically, from 15th in the nation in 2001 to 41st. “I think we are in a race to the bottom here, it seems like,” said Sherri Wood, president of the Idaho Education Association, the state’s teachers union. “Unfortunately, it certainly is not going to be good for the state, and not for our students either”/ Betsy Russell , Eye On Boise. More here. (SR photo/Kathy Plonka: Sorensen Magnet School fourth-graders, from left, Noah Burton, Schreyer Jones and Chloe Teets, work on math problems on Tuesday.)

Question: Why do Idahoans pay lip service to education support, yet allow such poor funding of public education?