I graduated high school with a class of 16 in small-town northern Idaho. One of the best things to happen to us was being the first class in years to get brand new, plastic wrapped English textbooks. My other classes had textbooks that were five, 10 and sometimes 15 years old that were so beaten up the covers were falling off.
After the school and it’s teachers spent years applying for grants, scholarships for students and any other kind of help they could get outside their regular funds, students finally got the materials they needed.
Chromebooks were issued to every student and they got to have fun learning opportunities out of a 3D printer and a beekeeping operation. After all the work the teachers and staff did to help the students, they are still being underpaid because Idaho won’t invest in good educators so students have a good education.
Idaho’s schools have a long, long road ahead of them in order to be able to give students the best education possible. Idaho Gov. Brad Little had been elected into office in 2019 with a large part of his campaign involving investing in the state’s declining education.
While Little has been making record investments into K-12 education, he inherited a long history of mismanagement of our schools. On top of that, the amount of misinformation floating around in the heads of the state legislature make it hard for Little to even get investments in education approved.
That said, Idaho’s schools don’t just need more money. They need reform. Public education in Idaho relies heavily on state funds, with over half of their funding coming from the state and federal governments.
Normally, those funds would be distributed using an attendance-based model. But for the past couple years, the Idaho State Board of Education has approved funding for schools based on enrollment because of the pandemic.
A permanent change to enrollment-based funding distribution would require approval from Idaho’s conservative legislature, and they would prefer that Idaho remain one of six states who allocate funding to students who are attending classes rather than listening to what educators need.
The attendance-based funding only serves to amplify the already unpredictable nature of school funding, and the required attendance policies schools implement doesn’t make access to education easier for minority and impoverished communities. They are the ones who need access to education the most.
Primary education isn’t the only education system in Idaho suffering because of the state’s conservative legislature. To the tune of $500 thousand being cut from the annual budget, Idaho representatives took funding away from the University of Idaho because of misinformed fears over social justice indoctrination.
UI released an independent report refuting the alleged “systemic commitment to forcing social justice ideology upon (UI) students.” UI President Scott Green defended the university’s value and education by making a fiery speech as legislation got ready for another budget discussion this session.
“The entire social justice narrative on which the University of Idaho was penalized $500,000 was a false narrative, created by conflict entrepreneurs who make their living sowing fear and doubt with legislators and voters,” Green said during a Jan. 28 Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee hearing.
Higher education in Idaho needs more action just like what Green did in January. It needs more daring defenders who aren’t scared to stand up to representatives, or “conflict entrepreneurs” as Green called them, and tell them they are wrong.
This is what all of Idaho’s education needs before we see major action from the state on bettering our education system. Students and administrators alike deserve more than outdated textbooks and scrounging around for funding through grants.
Advocate for education like Green did. Speak your mind to your representatives and remind them they have constituents to serve other than themselves.
Contact your state representatives here.
Anteia McCollum can be reached at [email protected]