Levies for Charters Schools, not if but WHEN…
Short update on charter school levies that I found after I wrote my charter school memo… And that is: The restriction in Idaho – no levies for Charter Schools is under attack by the charter school movement – can and no doubt will change unless we abolish the levy now. See this article the push for […]
Charter Schools Levy Solution or Tail Wagging the Dog?
Prepared by Joshua Palken (3-28-2024) Article 9 Section 1 of the Idaho Constitution recites: “The stability of a republican form of government depend(s) mainly upon the intelligence of the people.” I accept that statement and this is the legal and moral basis for education being the largest single portion of our entire state budget. That […]
Charter schools: Should we or Shouldn’t we?
Yes, but only if they actually SERVE the students. I do not know if this is true or not. But a LOT of people think this. Even if it is not true this is a terrible image that would have to be addressed before having any chance of selling Charter Schools to the majority. And […]
Addressing the BOND side of the proposed Abolish Levy Initiative:
The State (and School Districts) have a completely separate process and source of funding for capital improvements which is authorized by Article 8 of the Idaho Constitution. This “debt” referred to in the Constitution is commonly known as a “bond” which is just the term for what we citizens would call a “loan.” Bonds are […]
The nuts and bolts of the Initiative process itself
A few questions on the process were raised by the MVSD Board and Superintendent. Of course there are many important questions – about the process, legality, wording, and legal impact of this draft initiative. In other words if they were to “endorse” this draft initiative what are they signing on to? This is a very […]
Initiative Abolishing the School Levy will need School District support
Initiative Abolishing the School Levy will need School District support Levies are a local civil war in every school district year after year, state wide. The pass rate of Idaho levies is fairly high, but the constant uncertainty makes school planning and administration inefficient, difficult and stressful. Levy supporters rightly complain that of the fifty […]
School Levy vs School Initiative
It would be nice to end the annual civil war wouldn’t it? “…the Mountain View School District 244 board of trustees voted unanimously to hold a two-year $2.9 million levy in May… details next week’s paper” We already know the details; there will be sound reasons for wanting more funding for the schools. We also […]
Memo – “School Funding in Idaho – a Festering Problem”
Written by Citizen Joshua Palken – in Support of Citizen’s Initiative to Abolish Local Funding of Public Schools The“Abolish Levies and Bonds Measure” Preface Dear Fellow Citizens: I am a retired attorney willing to donate my time to improving the quality of life here in Idaho. I am sick and tired of the division and […]
