Re: Taxes

["John Danahy" <JDANAHY@turbonet.com>]

Walter and Co.
     First, the term "$15 million dollar cut" is meaningless by itself as
the public school budget is made up of many different parts.  For example,
the budget contains money for technology ($1 million).  If JFAC cuts this
budget by 50%, then the overall budget drops by $500,000 but the technology
budget for most districts is cut in half.  In Moscow, this would more than
likely mean at least one person would lose their job.
     Second, comparing budget years doesn't work unless you also compare
student numbers.  Idaho has seen a huge increase in the numbers of students
served by its public schools especially in the C'DA/Post Falls area and in
and around Boise/Meridian.  Thus while there has been an increase over time
in the public school budgets, the student numbers have more than accounted
for the funds.  For example, the legislature says it provides a 5% increase
in dollars for teacher salaries.  What really happens is those dollars are
spent on hiring more teachers, not on increases in pay.
     Unfortunately, public school funding in this state is very complicated
and full of bit parts.  It most closely resembles something constructed by
Rube Goldberg.  Thus the Idaho State Legislature can continue to boast of
"large increases in public school funding" while actually providing less
money to schools.  So unless you know what is or is not being funded, the
term is meaningless.

By the way, the legislature is all set to increase local property taxes
again.

John

John and Laurie Danahy
jdanahy@turbonet.com
----- Original Message -----
From: <WMSteed@aol.com>
To: <vision2020@moscow.com>
Sent: Friday, March 03, 2000 4:21 PM
Subject: Taxes


> In this AM's Lewiston Morning Tribune, Jim Fisher wrote in an editorial
> entitled, "Pull the brake on Idaho's crackpot tax-cut train" that,
sponsors
> of the $41 million tax cut introduced in the Idaho House Wednesday "would
> produce a public school appropriation $15 million lower than Gov.
> Kempthorne's recommended amount. And Kempthorne's proposed budget is not
> generous."
>
> With the number of school and legislative types on this list, I suspect
> someone can advise what amount the $15 million reduction creates in
relation
> to the last couple of year's actual school appropriations?  This seems
like a
> more meaningful piece of information.
>
> Walter Steed
>
>