Otter Not Planning To Spend Surplus

Gov. Butch Otter is rejecting the notion that a projected $162 million in unexpected revenue means the 2014 Legislature should aim to boost spending. Otter said he’s “bound and determined that the government is not going to grow back at the same rate that the economy grows” and said the lessons of the Great Recession prove government can do with less by exercising fiscal discipline, co-locating agencies and engaging in partnerships outside of government. “That all suggests to me that there’s no reason to go back to the old way of doing things: because we got a little extra money, let’s spend it,” Otter said in a Tuesday afternoon meeting with the Idaho Statesman editorial board/ Dan Popkey , Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Sounds like Gov. Otter is proud of Idaho’s ranking as second-to-last state in the nation for spending per capita on public school students. Am I reading this right?