Moscow schools chief gives Little budget high marks

On Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, more than 150 members of the Idaho Education Association participated in a day of lobbying with lawmakers at the Idaho state Capitol in Boise, outlining their top priorities for the 2022 legislative session.

Earlier this month, Idaho Gov. Brad Little proposed an 11% increase to K-12 funding from the previous year in his budget highlights for the 2023 fiscal year. If passed, it would be the largest single increase to support public schools in the state’s history.

Moscow School District Superintendent Greg Bailey says Little’s proposal would help the district stay competitive with schools in Pullman and the surrounding area.

“We compete with other school districts in our state as well as in Washington,” Bailey said. “And Washington typically pays much higher because they’re funded better. Our hope is to keep our staff.”

In the plan, the governor recommended $1,000 bonuses for all teachers to reflect an increased workload during the pandemic and a 5% increase in pay for classified staff. The proposal includes a $47 million investment in literacy programs, which school districts could use to fund all-day kindergarten.

Little also asked for a 7.1% budget increase for universities and a 4.8% budget increase for community colleges.

“Right now, legislators only fund half-time kindergarten,” Bailey said. “We provide full-day kindergarten but we fund it with local dollars. This would free up that money to be utilized in other areas of need, such as facilities.”

He added that if students don’t have access to full-day kindergarten they could fall behind.

Next month, on Presidents’ Day, Bailey and Moscow School Board members will participate in the Idaho State Board of Education’s “Day on the Hill,” where they’ll have a chance to advocate on behalf of schools on the Palouse.

Bailey says increasing funding for personnel is one of his main priorities for lawmakers.

“Salaries are a big part of our budget,” he said. “I’d also like to see them allow more of the funding to be discretionary so we can make decisions locally, rather than at the state level.”

Salaries make up roughly 87% of the Moscow School District’s budget, according to Bailey.

He encourages people to call their local legislators and talk about what they think would best support the state’s schools.

“It always helps if our community members call them and tell them what they think,” he said.

Palermo can be reached at apalermo@dnews.com or on Twitter @apalermotweets.