Jan. 13 Letter to the Editor

Doesn’t represent Moscow

In his 2023 State of the State address, Gov. Brad Little addressed his budget priorities for the 2023 legislative session. At the top of his list are plans to follow through on our legislators’ September special session promise to increase funding for K-!2 public and career education by $410 million.

Dan Foreman, newly elected Dist. 6 senator, is showing his true colors right out of the gate. He does not see ranking 41st in the nation for starting teacher salaries and 51st in funding per student as a problem. He wants the quality of Idaho education to be evaluated before increasing funding for education. This apparently includes solving societal issues such as drugs, “the breakup of the family unit” and “interference by the federal government,” which he says are affecting school performance. (Daily News, Jan. 10) Wow! I’d love to hear his proposals for addressing those concerns while Idaho’s educational system remains so inadequately funded.

Foreman clearly does not represent Moscow voters, who show our support for public education by funding almost half of the Moscow School District’s annual budget through an ongoing supplemental levy. And he doesn’t represent the 1,000 volunteers from across the state, the 100,000 voters who signed the Quality Education Act to put Proposition 1 on the ballot last November, or the 80% of Idaho voters who, on the November ballot, overwhelmingly approved of the action taken in the special session.

Idahoans deserve better representation in our legislature.

Gretchen Wissner

Moscow