Transparency | Education | Solutions
According to the latest US Census Bureau numbers, in the 2007-2008 school year Idaho had the second-lowest per pupil spending in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia. Every state except for Utah spent more on each student’s public education. What did 48 other states and the District of Columbia receive in exchange for their greater-than-Idaho education spending? Did spending more mean better scores for them? Should Idaho increase per pupil education spending?
When a district loses students, it’s entitled to a bailout. Not so for public charter schools.
Previously I wrote about Idaho Code 33-1003:
Everyone’s heard of government programs paying farmers not to farm and rewarding dairy producers for pouring milk down the drain. Not as well-known, however, is the law requiring Idahoans to pay for students who don’t exist.
The state of Idaho calculates its portion of K-12 public education funding based in part upon “average daily attendance” or ADA. This policy is designed to prevent spending money on students who are enrolled but not attending. However, Idaho Code section 33-1003 mandates payment for students who aren’t even enrolled:
Almost a quarter of Idaho high school graduates attending Boise State University are so far behind on their English and math skills, they're required to take remedial courses to catch up. In some cases, more than half of the students from an Idaho high school arrive unprepared for basic freshman-level college classes.
It’s funded by federal tax dollars to the tune of $1.16 billion this year alone, is authorized up to $2.5 billion under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, its effectiveness in improving kids’ academic performance is dubious, and no one outside the education establishment seems to know anything about it. It’s the 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) grant program, and it’s funded by federal tax dollars funneled through the Idaho Department of Education. This year, $1.6 million dollars from the program went to eight Idaho school districts: Blackfoot, Coeur d’Alene, K
Public schooling in Idaho has become a tale of two systems. One system contains the 115 traditional districts. The other is Idaho’s system of 40 public charter schools. How these two types of schools are similar and different is important to understand as we mourn the loss of public charter school Nampa Classical Academy.
BOISE -- Records obtained through the state's Public Records Act show Boise city officials are engaging in campaign activity on the taxpayers' dime, attempting to win passage of a constitutional amendment on the November ballot. The Idaho Freedom Foundation filed a public records request in June, asking for documents related to House Joint Resolution 5. HJR 5, if approved during the November general election, would allow cities to debt finance airport projects without a vote of the people.
This morning, the Idaho Freedom Foundation filed a complaint with the Bannock County prosecutor alleging that the Pocatello/Chubbuck School Board met illegally to discuss budget cuts. While the cuts in question -- reducing administrator pay -- may be appropriate, the law requires certain discussions to take place in public so that taxpayers can understand and weigh what's going on.
Here's a simple proposition: Taxpayers have the right to know how every cent, every dollar is spent by their local and state governments. Even though that proposition is fairly simple, the state Legislature has struggled with even the smallest of measures to bring more government transparency to Idaho. Last year, the House split evenly on Hayden Republican Rep. Phil Hart's bill to require the state to start developing a spending database.
The Coeur d’Alene city government spends thousands of taxpayer dollars every year to show city employees they are appreciated. In fact, according to public records obtained by the Idaho Freedom Foundation, expenses under the heading of “Employee Recognition” totaled $4,489.42 in FY2009.
In his essay “The Proper Role of Government,” Ezra Taft Benson wrote, “Seldom are men willing to oppose a popular program if they, themselves, wish to be popular — especially if they seek public office.”
I’m not seeking an office, but the quote stuck in my head last week after a reporter posed a curious question to me. She asked, “Name a government program that you feel does its job well.”
Only in the land of government excess could an increase in taxes and spending be deemed "conservative." That, however, is what some city leaders throughout Idaho are trying to convince us. Because they can't govern in a conservative manner, they're redefining what it means to be conservative. It's just a marketing ploy, and an unfortunate one at that.
The state constitution, like the federal Constitution, begins with the words, "We the people." The constitution doesn't begin with the words "we the governments" or "we the cities" or "we the bureaucrats."
I point this out only because certain city government officials believe it is their responsibility to "educate" us on the constitutional amendments that are on the ballot this November.
That's not their job.
The way the urban planners describe it, you’d think portions of Boise resemble the tribal enclaves of Afghanistan. You know, dilapidated buildings, barely functional infrastructure, chaos, black cats, broken mirrors and unpermitted, non-conforming uses.
Some of that I made up. But then again, most of the conclusions in a 40-page report to Boise’s urban renewal agency and City Council are also made up.
BOISE -- Records obtained through the state's Public Records Act show Boise city officials are engaging in campaign activity on the taxpayers' dime, attempting to win passage of a constitutional amendment on the November ballot. The Idaho Freedom Foundation filed a public records request in June, asking for documents related to House Joint Resolution 5. HJR 5, if approved during the November general election, would allow cities to debt finance airport projects without a vote of the people.