Idaho can’t go back to bad old days of cutting education funding | Opinion

Those who have lived in Idaho long enough remember the painful and acrimonious cuts to public education following the Great Recession.

When all was said and done, Idaho’s per-pupil spending dropped 15.9% from 2008 to 2013, according to a national study reported by Idaho Education News in 2013.

Only four states made deeper cuts percentage-wise, and only three states made deeper cuts in terms of real dollars, according to the study from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit think tank.

Those cuts, though, were caused by a big recession, the worst economic downturn in almost a century.

This time around, though, cuts to public education are self-inflicted.

Idaho Republican legislators have approved $5 billion in tax cuts and breaks over the past five years.

At the same time, Republican legislators agreed to divert $50 million in taxpayer dollars to pay for private school tax credits.

Wouldn’t public school educators love to have that $50 million rather than face “holdbacks” of 2-6%, as ordered by Gov. Brad Little.

Federal funding freeze

And now, the U.S. Department of Education under President Donald Trump has announced plans to withhold nearly $7 billion nationwide in K-12 funding.

Idaho stands to lose more than $33 million, or 16.5% of the total amount of federal K-12 funding Idaho receives.

The amount might seem relatively small, but the cuts are disruptive and harmful. It once again shows the haphazard and thoughtless way Trump and his unqualified Cabinet members are going about making cuts.

“This is not about political philosophy, this is about reliability and consistency,” Alabama state Superintendent Eric Mackey told Politico. “None of us were worrying about this.”

In Idaho, school districts have already set their budgets for the coming school year. They were anticipating these funds and now have to figure out how to live without that money.

The Boise School District estimates a cut of about $1.5 million.

The funding freeze affects such programs as educator training and recruitment, English learner support, student enrichment and after-school programs, migrant education, and adult education and literacy grants, according to an article by Stateline.

“These federal programs are essential to providing professional learning for our staff, supporting multilingual learners, and offering safe and enriching learning opportunities for students,” Boise Superintendent Lisa Roberts wrote in a news release about the cuts. “Without this funding, we would face difficult decisions that could affect student supports and services.”

Trump disregards Congress

Trump is once again disregarding the will of Congress with his train-wreck style of governing, usurping the authority of what’s supposed to be a co-equal branch of government.

This money was already approved by Congress. The Trump administration is using a tactic called “impoundment,” or withholding spending money that the House and Senate already approved.

In May, U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, said: “I’ve got a real problem with impoundment. That’s like a line-item veto, and I think it’s illegal. That will be a challenge, for sure.”

Well, here we are, Rep. Simpson. Are you actually going to do anything about it and maybe stand up for your state?

Unfortunately, Simpson faces reelection next year, and like most Republicans, he’s afraid of a Trumpian primary challenger if he doesn’t go along with his party’s leader’s ridiculous plans — even if it hurts his constituents.

Idaho going backward

Yes, we are fully aware of and equally concerned about the country’s $37 trillion debt and continued budget deficits that Congress has run up every year.

But making cuts in such a haphazard, illogical and surprise manner is the wrong way to go about it.

After years of starving public education, Idaho, under Gov. Little’s leadership, made great strides over the past several years, increasing teacher pay, adding money to the public education budget and setting aside state funding for school facilities.

But with all the bad news of holdbacks, diverting funds for school vouchers and federal funding cuts, it feels as if Idaho is going backward again.

Obviously, that’s the wrong direction.