Lapwai: New Face Of Idaho Have-Nots

Of Idaho’s 115 school districts, 94 have resorted to voluntary property tax levies. Called supplementals, they are anything but. These dollars pay the basics that state lawmakers no longer feel obligated to provide. Even with the extra money those patrons provide, schools have been unable to avoid teacher furloughs, crowded classrooms and four-day weeks. A handful of Idaho school systems are so wealthy they don’t need the extra help. But that leaves the rest in financial distress, and a couple dozen in real dire straights. Either the voters can’t afford to pay more. Or they don’t care. Lapwai is unlucky enough to suffer from both maladies/ Marty Trillhaase , Lewiston Tribune. More here .

Question: Children in Idaho have a constitutional right to get an equitable education, no matter where they live. The Idaho Supreme Court has seconded that emotion. But the Idaho Legislature has ignored that ruling. So what recourse does a school district like Lapwai have when the tin gods in our Legislature can refuse to obey the law?