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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

AdWatch: Idaho guv candidate touts school district success

BOISE – The latest TV commercial in Idaho’s governor’s race comes from Democratic candidate A.J. Balukoff, and features a Boise teacher talking about his record as head of the Boise School Board. “A.J. Balukoff made a real difference here. As governor he’ll do that for all of Idaho’s students,” Garfield Elementary School teacher Sonia Galaviz says in the commercial. “It’s a very positive ad, in support of Balukoff and his leadership of Boise schools, but it is a Boise perspective, rather than a statewide perspective,” said Jim Weatherby, Boise State University professor emeritus and a longtime observer of Idaho politics. “That will resonate in some areas. In other areas that are somewhat anti-Boise, perhaps not.” The ad touts well-known distinctions the Boise district has earned for student achievement and for higher rates of high school graduates going on to college. Boise High School has long been ranked one of the best high schools in the nation, and the district’s course offerings, programs and facilities exceed those in many Idaho districts. That’s in part because the Boise district is a charter school district, one of just three, created before Idaho was a state. As such, it has additional property taxing authority, so its funding is more protected than that of most Idaho school districts. However, its per-pupil spending, while above the state average, ranks just 58th out of Idaho’s 159 Idaho school districts and charter schools. The district’s voters also have been supportive, voting in March of 2012 to raise their property taxes by $14 million a year for five years to offset drops in state funding and other impacts of the economic downturn. The district hasn’t levied that full $14 million for the past two years, though, as it found other ways to fill holes and find efficiencies. This year, it charged taxpayers just $6.5 million of the $14 million. According to the district’s budget, the school district has the highest bond rating in the state, an AA rating from Standard & Poor’s – an indicator of its financial health – and was able to shift $6.9 million in excess reserves into its general fund budget this year and still maintain its required 5.5 percent reserve. That allowed the district to ease the burden on the supplemental property tax levy. Balukoff has served on the Boise School Board – an unpaid, elected position – for 17 years. For the past six years, until two weeks ago, he was the board’s president. He opted to step down from the presidency this time because of his run for governor, but remains on the board. Mike Lanza, Balukoff’s campaign spokesman, said the commercial is intended to show Balukoff’s commitment to education. “Because we know teachers are widely respected and admired by the public, and Sonia Galaviz is an accomplished teacher, she’s a good messenger,” Lanza said. “We’ve had great success … because of good leadership.” Weatherby said, “I think it works to a certain extent. It’s just a question of how people statewide will view this and whether or not they’ll make a judgment that that then qualifies him to be governor of Idaho. It’s quite a jump from president of the school board to governor of Idaho.” The ad is running statewide, including in the Spokane broadcast TV market.