Idaho Politics — A High-Five in the Mirror. Idaho officials hand themselves a giant check. By Wayne Hoffman (12/18/25)

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The Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners consists of the governor, attorney general, state controller, secretary of state, and superintendent of public instruction.

This board recently presented a ceremonial record-high $68.2 million check to state Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield for K-12 public schools. Wayne Hoffman questions the true purpose and cost of this event and distribution of funds as a self-congratulatory display.

Quote from Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller

We saw increased revenue from endowment lands this past fiscal year mostly through the increase in our timber harvest level over time.

Also, one thing I am proud of is that while our revenue is going up, expenses are staying relatively flat. This is an added benefit to the beneficiaries.

ED NOTE
Hmm, what does “relatively flat” actually mean?

Did Anyone Else Get Ceremonial Checks?

Nope! No ceremonial checks were presented to other endowment beneficiaries, such as state hospitals, adult prisons, or juvenile prisons. Why schools? Hoffman explains:

Because it’s not nearly as much fun to hand a giant ceremonial check to the prison warden as it is to hand it to the state school superintendent.

Because this was all about showmanship. It’s all about politicians showing how much they “love the little children.” It was about manufactured public relations. And you paid for it.

Arranging this staged event required coordination among the schedulers from almost all of the state’s constitutional offices, press staff participation, and security detail. All to the benefit of no one except the people grinning for the camera.

It’s not a lot of money that was wasted, to be sure, but it’s stuff like this that puts the care of the public dollar and resources on full display.

Final quote from Hoffman (offered to paid subscribers like us; we’re presenting it here because it was well stated)

It’s also worth pointing out that this $68.2 million distribution isn’t even that great an accomplishment. For the last 10 years, the endowment fund’s distributions have barely beat the government’s official inflation numbers. In real-world terms, if you aren’t outpacing inflation, you aren’t growing—you’re just treading water while calling it a swim meet.

Yet the headline — as it tends to be almost every year — is that the government is producing “record” this and “record” that. In an era of devalued currency, “records” are a mathematical inevitability, not a management victory.

This press event is not some massive scandal. It is, however, a perfect representation of what we’ve come to expect from government: a lot of show, almost no substance, all at taxpayer expense.

As a friend of mine often reminds me: You get what you permit. This is the style of government Idahoans have grown too used to because it has been permitted for a very, very long time.

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Our Take

This ceremonial check event is another slap in the face of taxpayers, and proof positive we’ve been fleeced like the sheep that we are.

And recently the governor announced that business will enjoy “big” unemployment tax savings (link below):

Really? What about everyday taxpayers? Shouldn’t we all enjoy tax relief AND less spending from our government?

We’re mad as heck and wish other voters wouldn’t take it any more. But we’re just small voices with little power. They ignore us. They ridicule us. And they continue to spend our money.