Little sings praises of ed bills

This story has been updated from its original version.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little touted funding for career technical education, teacher pay and a wide range of infrastructure investments during a brief stop in Lewiston on Monday.

Little was visiting northern Idaho and marking accomplishments in the 100 days between his January State of the State Address and the end of the legislative session earlier this month.

He was most pleased with education funding bills that raised the pay of teachers and established grants for high school graduates who choose to go on to schools where they can earn associate’s degrees or become certified in trade fields.

Known as the Launch Program, Little pushed for it in his state of the state address and then had to wait as legislators debated the merits of funding education beyond the 12th grade. The program, which provides up to $8,000 over two years for students who attend career technical education centers, including Lewis-Clark State College, was supported by several of the state’s large employers, including Idaho Forest Group, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, and Clearwater Paper.

“Literally kids in Lewiston will be able to get their associate’s degree or a training certificate with a much, much lower economic hurdle for them going forward,” Little said. “So that, to me, that’s the biggest issue this year, teacher pay and what we’re doing for those kids.”

Little said the education budget will lift the starting pay for teachers from among the lowest in the country to among the highest and help border communities retain talented teachers.

“Whenever you’re this close to Washington, that’s always important,” he said.

The governor initially opposed the legislature’s property tax relief bill and used his veto pen to kill it. Both chambers overrode the veto, but also passed a trailer bill that cleaned up several problems the governor objected to. He estimates the package could cut property taxes by 20 percent and state investments in infrastructure, including roads, bridges, wastewater and drinking water systems, will help local governments avoid further tax hikes.

“Every one of those are at the local level, funded by either property taxes or fees,” he said. “So with all the big money that we put into those areas, it should really lessen the demand for — whether it’s a city, a county, the school district, highway district — to have to raise fees and taxes going forward.”

The governor met with the Tribune at Hells Gate State Park, which will get $4 million. Other parks around the state will also see funding as part of a nearly $100 million package.

“It’ll pay for a backlog of maintenance that needs to be addressed,” Little said. “And then we’ll try and increase capacity — docks and campgrounds. So it’s a combination of unmet previous maintenance, and increasing capacity.”

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.