Idaho Legislature: Ask Legislators to VOTE NO on H0318 - Education, math and science (posted 02/27/25)

• Bill: legislature.idaho.gov/s…

• Contact Legislators (link below):

(Check the linked page or use My Bill Tracker for the bill’s current status.)

_____________________

H0318 is yet another expensive request for more education funding; in this case funding that is specific to math and science. The fiscal note estimates: Using the FY 2024 distribution, this reallocation would cost approximately $2.75 million from the general fund.

While we agree that math and science are important subjects, they should not be singled out for special treatment. Parents increasingly are pulling kids from schools because the education system is so focused on money and enrollment that quality of teaching and curriculum fall by the wayside.

This bill is one of many proposed this legislative session to throw good money after bad; this practice must stop. Our taxpayers suffer and so do the students. We spend more money, but the scores and quality of learning get worse, not better. Experience in other locales bears out that higher spending does NOT correlate with better outcomes; in fact, the opposite often occurs because schools are not motivated to do great things with the resources they have. We must stop rewarding mediocrity.

Education must focus on QUALITY, not just on kids filling the seats. Let’s make what taxpayers already pay for better rather than simply throwing more money at the problem and hoping for better results. Our federal government is starting to cut the pork from education and other areas; why can’t Idaho do the same?

Details:

• Changes the way staff positions are allocated for math and science courses based on school enrollment.

• Modifies staffing distribution formula for high schools, shifting from classified staff positions to instructional staff positions at different enrollment levels.

  100-159 students: Changes from one-ninth to one-half of an instructional staff position

  160-319 students: Changes from two-sevenths to three-quarters of an instructional staff position.