Signature gathering can start on education funding initiative

The Idaho Secretary of State’s office says signature-gathering can begin on a proposed ballot measure to increase education spending and fund it by raising income taxes on corporations and the wealthy.

The “Invest in Idaho” ballot measure was certified on Friday, according to a news release from Reclaim Idaho, the organization pushing the initiative. Reclaim is the group that got Medicaid expansion on the ballot in 2018, which voters passed that November.

Luke Mayville, Reclaim Idaho’s co-founder, said Idaho’s schools are at a crisis point.

“We are hearing the same thing from people all over the state,” he said. “They’re worried about losing teachers to other states, and they’re concerned their kids will not have the skills they need to get a family-supporting job in their communities. The legislature has had ample time to address the crisis. It’s now time for the people of Idaho to take action.”

Volunteers already have started gathering signatures since the Secretary of State’s approval came through, and Reclaim plans to hold a big signature-gathering push next Tuesday, which is Election Day for city and many school races statewide.

The proposed initiative would raise the corporate tax rate from 6.925 percent to 8 percent and would raise individual income taxes on a single person’s income over $250,000 a year or a couple making more than about $525,000 a year from 6.925 percent to 9.925 percent. The revenue from this, which supporters say could be $170 million to $200 million a year, would be put in a separate Quality Education Fund. Schools could use the money for a list of specified purposes, such as paying teachers, buying school supplies and textbooks, all-day kindergarten, career technical education programs, special education and funding art, music and drama programs.

The initiative’s backers need to gather the signatures of 55,057 registered voters, or 6 percent of the number of registered voters at the time of the November 2018 general election, to get the measure on the ballot, and they have until April 30, 2020, to do so. These signatures must include the signatures of at least 6 percent of registered voters in at least 18 of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts.

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Source:postregister.com