[Vision2020] legislative report

[Shirley Ringo]

Visionaries:

 

Legislative Report

The Public Education budget was set in the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee today, March 3.  (JFAC)  The total amount appropriated for FY 2011 is approximately $128.5 million lower than the appropriation for FY 2010.  Dean Cameron and Maxine Bell held meetings with the Education Committee chairs and vice-chairs, and representatives from the IEA, administrators, and school boards.  Where there was agreement, funds dedicated to specific programs were reduced to zero, and the amounts for them moved down to discretionary money.  This should at least be helpful to districts to give flexibility in attempting to meet their needs.  Even then, discretionary funding is 13.5% lower for 2011 than 2010.  Without a change in the amount appropriated, it was like rearranging the chairs on the deck of the titanic.

Among decisions made:  specific funding for the Teacher Incentive Award was eliminated and must now be paid out of discretionary funds (if possible); also eliminated is specific funding for technology, gifted and talented teacher training; classroom supplies, and textbooks.  The math initiative, reading initiative, and remediation are grouped together with funding of $9,400,000.

Base pay for teachers and classified staff is reduced by 4%; administrator pay is reduced by 6.5%; the salary grid is frozen.  The minimum pay for any teacher has been reduced to $29,655.  I hope you're as outraged as I am.  It would be a good idea to meet with your school district officials and ask what this budget means to your community.

Besides the terrible funding, there was terrible intent language adopted along with the budget.  The intent language declares financial emergency status for all school districts for the purpose of reopening the salary and benefits compensation aspects of the negotiated agreement, including the length of employee contracts and the amount of compensation and benefits. (It turns everybody into an at-will employee.)  I am reminded of the situation for Universities, where presidents can take employment action in the event of a "financial challenge," which does not seem to be defined.

In my opinion, the majority party has irresponsibly chosen this action.  They have consistently refused to even discuss revenue enhancement.  The minority party offered an alternative:  delay the implementation of consolidated elections ($4.1 million); limit the expansion of the grocery tax credit ($9.4 million); delay the planned reduction of the insurance premium tax ($6.7 million); and add $3,000,000 to the budget of the tax commission to help close the tax gap (collect unpaid taxes, projected gain of $17 million).  This would have given $37.2 million to add to the public school budget.  The motion failed on a party-line vote.

I tried a motion to help the college and university budget a little, by restoring stimulus money to them.  About $5.7 million in stimulus money that was originally in the college and university budget was taken from them and given to public schools.  My motion would have borrowed a like amount from a pool of money for school facility emergencies, put that in the public school budget, and restored the stimulus money to universities.  The motion failed along a party line vote.

It was not a good day for education in Idaho.
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