Taking on the notion that our government schools need more facilities and money.
The Moscow-Pullman Daily News ran an article two weeks ago titled “Report: Latah, Nez Perce schools among counties most in need of space, funding.” I about dropped my teeth when I read that headline!
William Spence reported on the “2022 Funding Construction of Public Schools” legislative working group in Boise. I cannot speak to the numbers in Nez Perce county, but for over twenty years I have closely followed enrollment and spending for Latah County schools in general and the Moscow School District (MSD) in particular.
That legislative working committee correctly observed that Idaho was the second-fastest-growing state over the past decade, with a 17.3% growth rate—adding more than 270,000 residents. From July 2020 to July 2021, Idaho, the fastest-growing state during that time, saw its population grow by 2.9%, far outpacing the U.S. rate of 0.1%: newcomers from other states accounted for an influx of nearly 49,000 residents.
They seemed to have applied those same percentages mindlessly to Latah County and Moscow. But according to the Idaho State Department of Education, MSD enrollment peaked in 1991 at 2,602 students and has fallen to 2,182 this year (down 18%). Why we need more space to accommodate 420 fewer students is beyond me.
The Boise legislative working committee correctly noted that “only 40% of Idaho students are proficient in math, only 55% in reading across all grades statewide, and only 29% of Idaho’s high schoolers are meeting college readiness benchmarks.” When I was in school, anything below 60% was a failing grade. Idaho’s schools are not only failing, but they are failing miserably.
Albert Einstein famously quipped, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” As per usual, the educational-industrial complex’s only solution is throwing more money at the problem, as if money were the root cause of government education failure. It is not.
This year’s Idaho state ($2.4 billion) and federal ($871 million) revenues allocated to public schools totals $3.3 billion. The total fall enrollment in Idaho was 316,159. Idahoans allocate $10,500 per student per year for K-12.
It should be mindboggling to anyone that we can spend that kind of money and have failing grades across the board. Where is all the taxpayers’ money going? Nowhere that benefits the kids. Not with only 40% proficient in math and less than one third ready for college.
Now throw in local property taxes on top of that. Latah County already has the fourth highest property taxes in all of Idaho. But that’s just the county. If you are in the MSD taxing district, you are paying one of the highest property rates in the entire state.
Those of us in the MSD taxing district pay an additional $11.6 million in property taxes directly to MSD. Locally, Moscowans provide 37% of MSD’s revenues. With MSD’s 2022-2023 revenues ($31.7 million) and their 2022 fall enrollment (2,182 students), we are paying about $14,500 per student per year for K-12 government education in Moscow. That’s over $3,000 more per student than the wealthy Coeur d’Alene school district spends.
One thing is guaranteed: Latah County schools are not in need of additional space and funding.
Spence also reported on the upcoming 2023 Idaho legislative agenda. Sen. Lori Den Hartog (R-Meridian) expects education funding to be a major discussion point: “I think we’ll see a lot of conversation around school choice and providing options for parents.”
The best solution would be for Idaho to follow Arizona’s lead in funding students rather than systems. If we adopted Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA), Idaho would fund about $6,800 per student per year (90% of state base-level support) for K-12 private school, homeschool, micro-school, co-op, tutoring, or any other educational services that parents choose to meet the needs of their children. The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled ESAs are neutral toward religion and are therefore constitutional.
For parents who would prefer not to put their kids into high price institutions of academic failure, $6,800 per year per child would get their kids a real education. Schools of excellence, such as Moscow’s Logos School with a tuition of $5,350 per year, would flourish. This would be a win for parents, kids, and taxpayers. The only loser is the educational-industrial complex.