Idaho Schools Get Boost From Land Fund
Public schools will receive a $31 million boost from Idaho's land endowment next year. But not every member of the state Board of Land Commissioners was happy with the distribution. The Spokesman-Review reports that public schools chief Tom Luna, who sits on the board with Idaho's four other top elected officials, was the only dissenting vote. Luna did not argue against the proposal, but in the past has made the case for bigger distributions for public education. Last year, Luna convinced the panel to distribute an additional $22 million from a land endowment reserve fund to help schools offset deep budget cuts. But commissioners have cautioned that was a one-time withdrawal. The decision was approved Tuesday and is similar to amounts set aside in past years for public education.