[Vision2020] legislative news/school facilities

[Shirley Ringo]

Visionaries:

 

As you know, half of the dividends from the lottery go to school district building funds.  Unfortunately, the Idaho Legislature has stolen some of these funds from the schools in a desperate attempt to address the school facilities lawsuit.  (without really addressing it)

 

Lottery funds are used in the "Bond Equalization Support Program," which provides a formula by which districts receive help on the interest of bond payments.  House Bill 349 stipulates that the "prosperous" districts, namely those districts with a value index of one or more, will no longer receive the 10% they have been guaranteed in the past.  This bill is proposed by members of the majority party on the Appropriations Committee because there is clear indication that in the future all lottery funds for schools could be eaten up by the bond equalization program.  

 

This is a continuation of bad policy, and does not offer a solution to the problem of funding school facilities.  It is also not likely to address the decision against the state in the lawsuit.  There are 37 districts with a rating above 1, and 7 more hovering in that neighborhood.

 

 
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