The 31 members of Idaho's Task Force for Improving Education wrapped up nearly nine months' worth of work last week, sending the governor 21 recommendations to improve public K-12 education in the state.
The goal is to see at least 60 percent of Idaho residents between 25 and 34 obtain some form of postsecondary credential by 2020.
Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter said he supports the task force's ideas, which if implemented all at once would cost the state about $350 million. He told attendees of a Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce meeting earlier this week that restoring funding to Idaho's school districts will be his top priority in 2014 and future years.
Otter knows the task force's recommendations can't all be accomplished in one year, so, he said, legislators should work on adopting the proposals over the next five years.
But will lawmakers follow suit?
Democrats almost certainly will be on board. We're sure many moderate and even some conservative Republicans will feel the same.
The task force's membership included teachers' union and parent-teacher association representatives, school administrators and board members, legislators of both parties, charter school officials, business officials and the state's superintendent of public instruction, among others.
It's not every day those diverse interests agree on even one educational policy change, let alone 21 of them, as this task force has done - although we're sure many of the members have minor differences of opinion regarding how to fund and/or implement some of the individual recommendations.
Despite this seemingly broad consensus about the task force's recommendations, we worry the proposals will hit a roadblock when it comes time for the Legislature to set its budget and then pay the bill.
Will the governor and his fellow Republicans stay true to their word and continue to support the task force's recommendations, even if tax increases become necessary to fund them?
Or will pressure from an inevitable small but loud opposition result in lawmakers once again failing to do what's right for Idaho children?
We hope, for everyone's sake, that legislators will have the courage to embrace compromise and not let the task force's work be in vain.
