Moscow Education (Idaho)

By a vote of 48-22, the Idaho House of Representatives this morning overrode Governor Butch Otter's veto of H81, the bill that will, if enacted, boost the grocery tax credit from $20 per person to $40 per person ($60 for seniors). The bill now goes to the Idaho senate, where it passed 35-0 earlier in the session.

If the bill receives more than two-thirds of the vote in the senate, meaning it will need at least 24 of the senators who voted for it originally to vote for it again, it will go into law despite the governor's veto.

 

From the Associated Press:

House Republicans on Tuesday approved a package of bills making up Idaho's $1.37 billion share of public education funding over objections from Democrats and a trio of GOP lawmakers who argued a measure setting teacher salaries should have included a bigger raise.

The bills passed the Senate earlier on similar party-line voting. They now go to Gov. Butch Otter.

Foes said teachers deserve the same 5 percent raise other state employees are getting in fiscal year 2008 – not the 3 percent increase approved by budget writers on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee in February.

Proponents of the bill setting the $792 million Division of Teachers budget, the largest part of the state public schools' package, argued it's generous because, among other things, it includes an additional $5.2 million for classroom supplies and increases the minimum teacher salary to $31,000 from $30,000.

"If you look at the benefits package state teachers get, they are quite nice," said Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene and House Education Committee chairman. "... These are good, reasonable budgets."

The vote on the teachers budget was 47-21. Rep. Mark Snodgrass, R-Meridian and a teacher, Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise, and Rep. Tom Trail, R-Moscow and an education consultant, were the GOP dissenters.

What does it mean to be an education consultant?

From the Associated Press:

The state Board of Education has given its unanimous approval to a plan to create a community college district in the Boise region.

The board's approval Monday clears the way for a vote in Canyon County that could create the College of Western Idaho Community College District.

"I'm thrilled that we are moving forward," board President Laird Stone said. "There is significant need for a community college in this area of the state and we hope the good people of Ada and Canyon counties embrace this opportunity to help their children and grandchildren for years to come."

…

If voters approve the district, the state board will appoint five trustees to make decisions about the college and its cost.

The college would operate essentially the same as Idaho's two other community colleges, the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls and North Idaho Community College in Coeur d'Alene, state board spokesman Mark Browning said.

Looks like a day for passing school levies in Idaho.

Note the difference: Boundary County’s was a levy for 2 years. Moscow’s for eternity. Definitely shows a different mindset.

From today's Spokesman Review.

Voters in the Boundary County School District approved a $1.7 million, two-year property tax levy Tuesday. The supplemental levy passed with 57.9 percent voting yes, the district reported.

The levy will raise about $172,290 more than was collected under a tax levy that will expire this year. The new levy rate is $1.21 per $1,000 of taxable property value, the amount available to be taxed after the state homeowner's exemption is applied.

Superintendent Don Bartling said last week that if the levy were to fail, the district would be forced to cut extracurricular activities totaling $258,727 a year; principal positions at Naples, Evergreen and Mt. Hall elementary schools; teachers for drama and the gifted and talented program; a fifth-grade teacher; a technology maintenance position; and a part-time high school vice principal.

The levy also will cover inflationary costs, new staff positions, technology maintenance, textbook replacement and a new school bus, Bartling said.

From the Daily News:

Moscow School District voters approved a $1.97 million increase to the district's supplemental levy Tuesday.

Fifty-six percent of voters (1,806) voted for the increase, while 44 percent (1,418) voted against it, said Amanda Erickson, Moscow School Board clerk.

It was the first increase to the supplemental levy the district had sought since 2002.

The supplemental levy represents about one-third of the district’s roughly $18.9 million annual budget.

The increase of $1.97 million represents an increase of $1.43 per $1,000 of taxable assessed value on the levy rate.

As reported in the New York Times:

A much-anticipated report from the largest and longest-running study of American child care has found that keeping a preschooler in a day care center for a year or more increased the likelihood that the child would become disruptive in class — and that the effect persisted through the sixth grade.

The effect was slight, and well within the normal range for healthy children, the researchers found. And as expected, parents’ guidance and their genes had by far the strongest influence on how children behaved.

But the finding held up regardless of the child’s sex or family income, and regardless of the quality of the day care center. With more than two million American preschoolers attending day care, the increased disruptiveness very likely contributes to the load on teachers who must manage large classrooms, the authors argue.

Ah, the ever increasing, unintended consequences of the left’s public policies.

As reported in today's edition of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

An early retirement plan could save the Moscow School District about $200,000 a year. Eight teachers and one administrator have taken advantage of the district plan. The savings will begin in the 2003-04 school year.

Since that time, the Idaho Office of Performance and Evaluations has posted their most recent “School District Administration and Oversight” report.

Here are some choice quotes about MSD.

Page 14:

While Moscow and Preston had comparable enrollment, Moscow had more schools and a larger number of school administrators and support staff.

…

Boise, Lake Pend Oreille, and Moscow had more administrative staff than districts with similar enrollment. Each of these districts received a larger share of their total funding from local sources than did comparable-sized districts. In addition, these districts generally had more revenue per pupil than the comparison districts. All three districts have received funding from supplemental levies approved by local taxpayers.

As reported in yesterday’s edition of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

Twelve University of Idaho students were arrested early Monday morning and charged with trespassing in Colfax.

The group was found inside the former St. Ignatius Manor Hospital on Mill Street. The unoccupied building is owned by out-of-town investors.

Brian J. Rainey, 19, Lucas C. Tate, 19, Joseph L. Sonnen, 20, Kai P. Jensen, 20, Christopher C. Huntley, 19, David M. Arnold, 20, Brian J. Bialke, 20, Taner C. Parker, 20, Nicholas T. Batten, 20, Robert C. Buxbaum, 19, Craig J. Chandler, 20, and Jacqueline K. Wuebben, 19, were arrested and booked into the Whitman County Jail, Sheriff Brett Myers said.

They told police they went into the building because of a rumor involving the "haunted insane asylum."

The first-degree criminal trespass charges are considered a gross misdemeanor. The maximum sentence can include up to one year in jail.

Whitman County Sheriff's deputies and officers from the Colfax Police Department arrived on the scene after witnesses reported people were in the building with flashlights.

The officers identified themselves and demanded all trespassers evacuate the building. The group was told a police dog would be sent inside if they did not leave immediately.

As reported in yesterday’s edition of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

Residents in the Moscow School District vote until 8 p.m. Tuesday on whether to approve a $1.97 million increase to the supplemental levy for the district.

The election represents the first increase the district has sought since 2002.

The supplemental levy represents about one-third of the district’s roughly $18.9 million annual budget.

District officials say increasing the amount of the supplemental levy will allow the district to continue operating with its current array of personnel and programs. If the levy does not pass, the district estimates that $400,000 will need to be cut from the 2007-2008 budget and $1.5 million will need to be cut from the 2008-2009 budget.

The increase of $1.97 million represents an increase of $1.43 per $1,000 of taxable assessed value on the levy rate. If the increase is approved, district property taxpayers will pay about $6.86 per $1,000 of taxable assessed value.

To vote: Residents can vote until 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Exhibit Building of the Latah County Fairgrounds in Moscow. For more information, contact the district office at (208) 892-1139.

Find results: Check the Web at www.Dnews.com, or read Wednesday’s print edition of the Daily News.

To all my local readers: don’t forget to go vote today at the Latah County Fair Grounds.

Here’s the voter info: http://www.moscowlevy.com/voterinfo.htm

UI/WSU/NSA students can vote as well, even if not currently registered. Check out the link above for info.

EIA provides us with four eye-popping stories that will make you want to spit.

Let's begin with an editorial from the March 25 Contra Costa Times headlined "Smaller classes not best way to help students." The op-ed was prompted by the fact that most of $2.9 billion targeted for the state's worst-performing schools will be spent hiring teachers for class-size reduction.

 

The column covers many of the objections to class-size reduction, and even finds an expert and a representative of the school boards association to cast doubts on its effectiveness. The eye-popping part is that this spending is at least targeted to bad schools. Where were these editorials and experts 12 years ago when the state passed K-3 class size reduction for every school? And why are these targeted schools still performing poorly despite 12 years of the recommended panacea – class size reduction?

 

Which leads us to a related story in the March 23 San Diego Union-Tribune, headlined "7 elementary schools in line for state money." The article notes that 1,455 schools in California will be eligible for a share of that $2.9 billion, but only 450 to 500 schools will actually receive it. That's bad news for the other 1,000 schools, but surely the state will see to it that the absolute neediest schools get the money.

 

No. The recipients will be selected at random from the eligible schools. Random!

 

It's $2.9 billion in taxpayer money, not a gift basket at a church function. Here's a tip for California government officials: Wear a hat. The sun is baking your brains.

 

Let's leave the loony state behind and move on to the University of Iowa, where a study of students revealed that binge drinking – defined as drinking five or more alcoholic beverages in one sitting, and doing it more than six times in two weeks – will adversely affect a student's grade point average.

 

Normally something like this would simply be fodder for Jay Leno and the Journal of Irreproducible Results, but the Iowa story deserves special mention not just because it's stupid, but because it undermines the very point it's trying to make.

 

The effect on grade point average of binge drinking was a mere 0.28 points. If a college student can go out and get well and truly hammered every other day, and this besotted existence will only cost him a quarter-point of GPA, well, let's just say it's full speed ahead for those who think "party" is a verb. It will also make the good kids wonder why they're spending so much time studying.

 

We move north of the border to the March 26 Toronto Sun, where Canadians are giving us a foreshadowing of what's to come in the U.S., in a column headlined, "Falling enrolment, rising costs."

 

The Toronto public schools have been steadily losing students for the past 10 years, and the projections are for the 9,000-student annual decrease to continue. Columnist Moira MacDonald details the government's response:

 

"So the government is giving 'declining enrolment' grants to cushion the blow, such as guaranteeing money to individual schools for principals and secretaries so dropping enrolment doesn't force schools into closure for lack of administrative staff.

 

"Last week's announcement included money for special ed students in declining enrolment boards as well as money for small remote schools – mostly in the north – so they can maintain stable teacher numbers even while their classrooms empty out."

 

MacDonald then states the obvious: "But that kind of thing can't keep up forever."

 

We have similar payments in the U.S. The dirty little secret here is that many school systems benefit, financially and otherwise, from declining enrollment. And that brings us to the final story, the Ohio Education Association's latest lawsuit against charter schools, particularly in Dayton.

 

The lawsuit cites the "devastating consequences" for the district of losing students to charter schools. The March 24 Columbus Dispatch dutifully reports the specifics of this devastation:

 

"Dayton has the second highest number of charter-school students in the nation: nearly 6,500, or 28 percent of the district. The exodus of students cost the district an estimated $43 million in lost state aid during the 2005-06 school year."

 

Even if you're bad at math, you still own a calculator, and $43 million divided by 6,500 comes to about $6,615 per pupil. And even if you examine state aid alone, Ohio spends $9,355 per pupil in Dayton (out of a whopping $13,645 spent from all sources). The Dispatch story reports the union claim of "losing" $6,615 per pupil, without mentioning the $2,720 in state aid the district still gets for each student it no longer is responsible for educating. As EIA has reported before, every student educated in charter schools is a huge bargain for the state of Ohio, and the beneficiary of the savings has mostly been the traditional public schools.

 

There are good charter schools and bad charter schools. There are poorly managed and fiscally irresponsible charter schools and charter schools that are well-managed and fiscal models for all schools. None of this, however, has anything to do with why there continues to be a divisive and costly fight over them, 16 years after the first charter school law was passed in Minnesota. The battle is over union membership and union influence. In traditional schools, there is both. In charter schools, there is neither. How many of the thousands of charter school stories written address this fundamental battle for survival?

From The Education Intelligence Agency.

"I know if I had tens of thousands of dollars, I wouldn't use them on billboards. I would use them for after-school programs. I would use them to help teachers get supplies."
—Newark Mayor Cory Booker, commenting on the Newark Teachers Union, which has posted billboards in the downtown area that read: "Help Wanted: Stop the Killings in Newark Now!" (March 26 Associated Press)

HT: EIA

Education Week has posted their Hype Warning System.

In response to recent reports surrounding the further spread of KIPP, the Threat Awareness Office at the Department of Homeland Security has just posted the following adjustments to the National Hype Warning System. Hold onto your bags:

KIPP Is Our Savior
NCLB Has Destroyed / Saved Our Schools

National Standards
Universal PreK For All (get it?)

Bring On The Growth Models
The HPV Vaccine Will Promote Sexual Activity

"Human Capital" Is Where It's At (Teachers, Principals)

The 65 Percent Solution (A Bad Dream?)
Pedophiles and Stalkers On MySpace (& Other Techno-Fearmongering)

For previous editions of the HWS from last spring and summer, look here, here, and (more generally) here.

HT: EIA

The following letter to the editor appeared in yesterday’s Lewiston Tribune.

Please take the time to read it. If there’s hope, it will be from such groups as NWPE.

Jim Fisher ("Leaders flunk first test of teacher merit-pay plan," editorial, March 12) correctly assesses that consulting good teachers who know how to measure results is advisable for devising a new teacher pay system. He errs, however, assuming that consultation with the teachers' "representative," i.e. the teachers union, would automatically yield better results.

Union leadership is not known for its innovation, openness to change and flexibility. Too often, union leaders obstruct or sabotage good ideas preferring instead to shore up the union's power over all aspects of our schools.

Northwest Professional Educators (NWPE) seeks to help create an educational climate that respects educators, recognizes professionalism and rewards results. Legislators should consider consulting with NWPE, a nonunion professional association serving independent-minded educators who have great ideas and passion for improving education.

Unfortunately, these talented educators are routinely shut out and shut up by union contracts that prohibit nonunion teachers from participating in the development of sound school policy. This discriminatory environment must change.

It is often very costly for teachers to promote reform ideas that counter union ideology. To make it safe to promote new ways of thinking, lawmakers should pass an equal access law that honors the good will and ideas of all educators regardless of their union status. All educators deserve the chance to advance policies focused on student achievement and professional integrity.

Cindy Omlin
Executive Director
Northwest Professional Educators
Spokane

From today's Idaho Statesman:

A new round of achievement tests showing Idaho kids slumping in math underscores the need for a statewide initiative to beef up kids' arithmetic skills, says Tom Luna, superintendent of public instruction.

But Linda Clark, Meridian School District superintendent, said the results don't make sense and the test should be looked at closely.

Scores from the Direct Math Assessment released Monday show a drop in the number of students who scored proficient or above compared to the 2005-06 school year in all three grade levels in which the test is given. Boise, Meridian and Nampa school districts all showed declines, which Clark said is unusual.

…

In different math achievement tests, Idaho students have wrestled with declining scores as they move from grade to grade.

Results from the Idaho Standards Achievement Test show that 92 percent of Idaho third-graders are proficient or better in math, but by 10th grade, the number drops to 71 percent.

Direct Math Assessment shows a slump in math. This confirms what the ISAT shows.

And the administration says “this doesn’t make any sense”.

Doesn’t make any sense to me, either — given that we’re spending $10,000 per student per year.

Cross-posted from Jim Hollingsworth:

Every American concerned about education needs to read this book:  The War Against Hope: How Teachers’ Unions Hurt Children, Hinder Teachers, and endanger Public Education by: Rod Paige, Former Secretary of Education under George W. Bush (Available from Amazon.com – List $25.99, New $17.15; Used 12.00)

When I ran for State Representative I was asked to fill out a candidate questionnaire for the IEA (Idaho Education Association).  For every question I was to indicate if I favored or opposed the measure.  Every question had something to do with spending more money on education in Idaho.

I talked with the union representative and asked if there were not issues in Idaho classrooms that did not involve money.  I was informed that there were, but they did not seem to be as important as spending more money.

SOMETHING IS TERRIBLY WRONG WITH AMERICA’S PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM

For decades, we have seen test scores slide or stagnate (today fewer than twenty percent of our nation’s twelth (sic) graders are proficient in math, and our students rank near the bottom in science and math among the industrialized nations of the world) and achievement gaps persist or widen.

So who’s responsible for the ongoing failure of our education system?  In The War Against Hope former Secretary of education Rod Paige pulls no punches in his critical analysis of America’s crisis in the classroom.  Without question the greatest impediment to meaningful school reform is the enormous, self-aggrandizing power wielded by the teachers’ unions.

In this vital, well-documented book, Paige takes an unflinching look at the power-hungry union leaders who have consistently placed their ambitions ahead of the needs of the teachers and the students whom they claim to serve.  He also traces the history of the National Education Association (NEA) from its humble beginnings as an advocate of educational excellence to its early radicalization by left-wing ideology.

The War Against Hope is a disturbing account of the corruption, greed, and skewed values that have assaulted our schools, betrayed our teachers, and forsaken our children for far too long.

(From the back jacket.)

Anyone can throw stones and criticize, and that Sect Paige does.  But, he does much more.  He shows how some schools have succeeded or presently are succeeding.  He gives reason to hope that meaningful school reform can happen.  Listen to his words:

Every parent knows that few things are more important to a child’s future than expectations—high expectations, consistent standards, and individual education all play a crucial role in equipping boys and girls for a prosperous and responsible life in a free society.

…if you believe every child can learn, then you are going to look at our lagging education system and demand immediate action.  You will demand meaningful accountability, you will set higher expectations, you will seek information on how every child is doing, and you will want to ensure every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely on one clear objective: raising every child’s academic achievement.

This is a book that needs to be read by every school administrator, every teacher, every legislator, every parent, every faculty member, and yes, every union representative.  It is time the teacher’s unions accept the responsibility for their actions.  It is time we joined forces to see a superior education system even here in Idaho.  The goal is attainable.  Can we do less, not only for our children, but also for the future of our country?

From today's Spokesman Review.

Lawmakers set next year's budget for public schools at $1.37 billion in, a 5.9 percent increase over this year's budget, including 3 percent more for teacher pay. Last week, they added a backup plan for districts that could lose millions if federal timber payments aren't reauthorized; the state would reimburse 70 percent of the losses to those timber-dependent districts. For community colleges, budget writers approved a 6.9 percent increase in state funding, and 8.4 percent for the state's four-year colleges and universities. The House took a stand against preschool, defeating a proposal to set standards for early childhood learning programs and passing another measure saying the state shouldn't impinge on the role of parents in educating preschoolers. Increased math and science requirements for high school graduation won approval, while easing election rules to form a new community college district failed.

Below is a picture of the Logos Varsity and Junior Varsity Mock Trial Teams. This picture was taken in the Idaho Supreme Court Building last Tuesday.

The Logos Mock Trial Varsity Team won the 2007 Idaho championship, arguing a constitutional case for freedom of religion in the public schools before an Idaho Supreme Court Justice.

This is the fifth year in a row that Logos School has been the Idaho State Mock Trial champion.

Last year, the school placed 9^th at nationals. This year’s team is the most experienced team the school has ever had (with two students who have competed now four times at national mock trial).

Congratulations to the Logos teams!

The following letter to the editor appeared in today’s Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

How are Moscow schools doing in light of a recent study's recommendation that they equip "tomorrow's citizens with the skills and attitudes for economic and civic success in an increasingly knowledge-based economy?" As a major economic "industry," formal education should produce not only qualified college material, but also future employees in an increasingly high-tech society. While Idaho's rural heritage lingers, school districts should offer technologies that enable our kids to be competitive for many good salaries out there (Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor). While our high school provides one two-thirds time instructor in the technology trades, neighboring Pullman has several. At least 30 percent of our kids are thus locked out of good jobs due to an overemphasis on traditional subjects. The issue is one of "marketing," leadership, fiscal policy and social justice which the board and top administrators have neglected.

Moscow civic leaders, university specialists and state administrators have invited our district to examine these trends and consider basic changes. But trustees have ignored meetings, shown no interest in data, and failed to review policy - even declining to take seriously professional offers to generate new money for program innovation. College prep reigns supreme, excluding many youngsters from employment opportunities.

With regard to the 65 percent-70 percent of graduates who enter universities, about 25 percent drop out after the first year, notwithstanding increased testing mandates. A good investment? The Moscow School District spends more per pupil than most other districts. Why not fix the problems?

Among other issues in our district are transparency in instructional and administrative evaluation, teacher accountability for students with different learning styles, aging equipment and lab facilities. So, where will the $2 million actually go if approved? To the status quo, or to innovations and professional-technical programs? As you vote on the levy, carefully weigh these questions before writing a blank check. The district can always come back after self-examination.

Ken Medlin, Moscow

Ed Iverson has a column in today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

Education is a religious exercise. It cannot be otherwise. It is never a question about religion in the classroom, yes or no? It is always a question about which religion will inform the classroom.

The government endorses an eclectic brand of secularist humanism. For example, they are very firm about the origin of mankind. Whether they know it or not, they thus subscribe to a religious understanding of who man is and what his purpose is. Examples like this can be multiplied. It would be hard to think of a curriculum standard not informed to some degree by multiculturalism. There is no culture so depraved, no civilization so inhumane that it cannot be compared favorably with other cultures. All cultures are to be equally esteemed (unless it be the one that has descended from Western Christendom.) Kids learn about sex acts, sexual behavior, and sexual preference from a curriculum informed by a religious dogmatism that would rival Islamic Jihadists. Such instruction cannot be said to be religiously neutral.

The laws that govern our government schools are informed by considerations of what is right and what is wrong. In earlier times (before the abolition of the "M" word), matters of right and wrong were referred to as "morality." We have laws regarding gender equity because educational leaders believe this is the "right" thing to do. Public schools go to great lengths to avoid racial segregation. That is good. The point is, if racial segregation of the schools is "wrong," then it is an issue that has been settled by morality. Students caught sexually harassing other students are disciplined for doing something "wrong." More morality.

Every rule finds its justification in some system of morality. All morality is religious. Atheist philosophers argue that there can be a morality that is based on community consensus. However, this doesn't free morality from religion. It merely grounds morality in a different kind of religion. True, it is not the Christian religion. Nor is it the Muslim nor the Jewish nor the Buddhist religion. Call it the humanist religion. Sir Julian Huxley was not reluctant to do so as he signed The Humanist Manifesto in 1933. Unfortunately, this humanism descends into statism, a more menacing variant of secular religion.

A separation of school and state will signal the inception of real education reform. For those readers who are interested, there is a national organization called the Alliance for the Separation of School & State. Their excellent material can be referenced at www.schoolandstate.org/home.htm.

Several weeks ago I wrote an article observing that the Idaho Science Teachers Association had banned all alternatives to evolutionary Darwinism from the government school science curriculum. In response, one Darwinist commented that he would be delighted to see creationism and intelligent design taught in the public schools. He proposed a curriculum that would expose the foolishness of ID and creationism. He would teach this in a unit that also discredited "astrology, palmistry, ghosts, out-of-body-experiences, and other foolishness where students need skills to sift fact from fiction."

If there could be a better argument for the separation of school and state, I could not have devised it. My reader is perfectly justified in teaching a unit denying that God created the world in six regular days. I applaud him for desiring to teach his children in accordance with his religion. But he is not content with that. He proposes to take my tax money and use it to convince my kids that the Christian worldview that I so carefully inculcated in them is nothing more than silly superstition.

Multiply that example by 100 and you have the case for the separation of school and state. Humanist kids should understand the Humanist Manifesto and be able to push the ideas therein into all the corners. Who should pay for that instruction? Not I. Why should I be forced to pay for that when I believe humanism is destructive?

Ed Iverson is the head librarian at New Saint Andrews College in Moscow.
He earned a master’s of library science at the University of Southern Mississippi
and studied theology at Regent College in Vancouver, BC.
In 1990, he ran for the Idaho Senate as a Republican from Mullan.
He lives with his wife at Viola.
They have two children and six grandchildren.

The Logos 10^th grade class scored a perfect 100% on the mathematical quantitative reasoning section of the Educational Records Bureau's 2007 Comprehensive Testing Program (CTP 4).

I’ve never seen an entire class score a perfect 100% on any standardized test before.

Congrats to the Logos 10^th graders! That is quite an accomplishment!

The Idaho Office of Performance and Evaluations has posted their most recent “School District Administration and Oversight” report.

Here are some choice quotes about MSD.

Page 14:

While Moscow and Preston had comparable enrollment, Moscow had more schools and a larger number of school administrators and support staff.

…

Boise, Lake Pend Oreille, and Moscow had more administrative staff than districts with similar enrollment. Each of these districts received a larger share of their total funding from local sources than did comparable-sized districts. In addition, these districts generally had more revenue per pupil than the comparison districts. All three districts have received funding from supplemental levies approved by local taxpayers.

The following letter to the editor appeared in today’s Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Some months ago, the Idaho Legislature and governor increased our sales tax and at the same time reduced local property tax to support school districts. The school support comes from Boise, including significant increases in state support already being received. Now, here comes the Moscow School District demanding still more money, based on the unfair property tax that our Legislature was trying to reduce.

Moscow School Board members and administrators obviously have no intention or courage to tell staff members “no” for every expensive additional program that is proposed. Local taxpayers need to fill this role. Vote “no” Tuesday.

George Branson, Moscow

In today’s Moscow-Pullman Daily News, MSD business manager, Sue Driskill, had a rebuttal to my editorial from Monday.

I'm running my letter (on the left) with her rebuttal (in the middle) and my comments to her numbers.

See for yourself whether she answers my objections or not.

You can also read this over at the MoscowLevy website.

From today's Spokesman Review.

Legislative budget writers have agreed to reimburse Idaho school districts for 70 percent of their losses next year if Congress doesn't reauthorize payments to counties hurt by cutbacks in federal logging.

Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, had made the same $3.5 million proposal earlier as part of the public schools budget, as had Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, but it failed then. On Thursday, the plan got strong support, passing the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on a 19-1 vote.

"I believe it is important for us to do this, and I do not see this as undermining" the congressional effort to reauthorize the funds, Keough told JFAC. "Schools, by the Constitution, are our responsibility."

The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, often called the Craig-Wyden bill, makes payments to districts and counties to replace falling timber receipts from federal forest lands throughout the West. But it expired last year.

Boundary County schools alone would lose more than $250,000 next year if the Craig-Wyden payments end. Kellogg schools stand to lose twice that much, and the Wallace School District could be out $200,000. The McCall-Donnelly School District in central Idaho could lose more than a half-million dollars.

The following article by Murf Raquet appeared in today's edition of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News. This is the consensus of the Daily News editorial board.

University officials have opted to defer the maintenance on those older buildings to the tune of $200 million. That's a deep hole and getting deeper every year the repairs continue to be deferred.

The $200 million didn't accumulate overnight. The dollar figure is based on a number years of putting off repairs such as plumbing, electrical, heating and ventilation.

Maintenance deferral is no secret nor is it a problem unique to the UI.

"It's an issue for higher education all around the country," said Brian Johnson, UI assistant vice president for facilities. "Many state-supported schools are finding their relative portion of state support going down over the years and Idaho is no exception to that."

The UI spends about $5 million annually on routine maintenance but at that rate the work will never be caught up.

Deferring maintenance is never a good idea. If a problem exists it's best to fix it because it only will get worse.

The blame for the backlog must not be placed on the back of UI officials alone. State officials bear much of the responsibility with the lack of adequate funding over the years. Bare-bones budgets forced the UI to defer some of the maintenance.

Lawmakers must consider the state of UI's infrastructure as they wind up the 2007 session this week and during the next nine months. In an ideal world, the legislators would return in 2008 and find a long-term solution to the deferred maintenance problem.

Updated older buildings would be a nice complement to the new, shiny ones.

If the University of Idaho had been fiscally responsible with their spending over the last 10 years, I would agree with Murf. But part of the problems we see is the fiscal irresponsibility with the University.

In my opinion, this is another one of those “they must get their own house in order before asking for more money” issues. Just like MSD.

The following letter to the editor appeared in today’s Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Please don't label me anti-education, as I am not. I fully support and recognize the need for quality education and we are fortunate to have that in this area.

However, our Moscow School District and its patrons miss a key issue when it comes to asking for our support in yet another levy. That is and remains the fact that you are continually targeting one group of taxpayers for your financial concerns, and they are the property owners. This is not an equitable way to share the costs of such an important issue that affects everyone equally, and that is education.

If the MSD and its patrons would put their time and energy at the state and federal levels to increase K-12 funding, then you could stop saying things like; Idaho is 47th in school funding, etc.

Property taxes should be for property-related items such as fire, sheriff, county roads, etc.

A reoccurring theme in all your letters has been class size and salaries. Excuse me, but how much of this levy is for salaries? We all would appreciate raises, especially in this time of rising prices, but don't have the ability to tap our local property owners to do that.

Please join me in writing our state and federal legislators, asking them to increase their support for schools, and also, please vote "no" today, as this is not the correct way to fund schools, just the easy way.

T.H. Allergi, Moscow

The following article ran in today’s Lewiston Tribune.

The University of Idaho has denied all substantive allegations in an age discrimination lawsuit filed in January by the fired director of its Upward Bound and other federally funded college prep programs.

In its formal answer filed recently in 2nd District Court, the UI said claims made by Isabel Bond, 74, under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and Idaho Human Rights Act may be barred because Bond didn't bring formal complaints in a timely fashion.

UI attorney Bentley Stromberg of Lewiston also wrote Bond's claims under the age discrimination act may be unconstitutional, that Bond's negligence in running the programs equaled or exceeded the UI's negligence, and Bond may have failed to mitigate her claimed damages.

Bond was fired last year after 30 years at the UI. The university said she was responsible for problems, like underage drinking and inappropriate sexual contact among the low-income high school students served by the summer on-campus programs.

But Bond claimed those alleged incidents were a pretext for forcing her out because of her age. She is represented by Coeur d'Alene attorney Susan Weeks, and is seeking at least $10,000, plus attorney's fees, actual damages, front and back pay and other damages.

From today's Spokesman Review.

Legislative budget writers approved $12 million Wednesday for a new college scholarship program for low-income Idaho college students, a scaled-down version of Gov. Butch Otter's scholarship proposal.

The money still has to be approved by the full House and Senate, as well as the governor.

"I think it's important for our kids, and I think it's also important for the economy of the state," Sen. Jim Hammond, R-Post Falls, told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee.

The panel was divided, voting 13-7 in favor of the plan.

From Indoctrinate-U

HT: Tony V.