LEGISLATORS: Should defend public schools

In March, I attended a town hall meeting hosted by KCRCC. Legislators in attendance were Rep. Mark Sauter, Sen. Jim Woodward, Rep. Jordan Redman, Sen. Ben Toews, Rep. Tony Wisniewski, Rep. Elaine Price, Rep. Ron Mendive, Rep. Vito Barbieri, Rep. Dale Hawkins and Rep. Doug Okuniewicz. They were there to give updates on what they had been working on in the 2026 session and an overview of what was to be expected budget-wise. The meeting was well attended and questions from the audience were welcomed. 

I submitted a question on the topic of school choice legislation that had been passed earlier. One of the speakers spoke up immediately on the subject stating he was “all for school choice because of what was being taught in school rooms across the state of Idaho.” In my opinion, that remark threw every public school teacher and every public school under the bus.

Not one person on the stage spoke up in defense of our teachers and schools.  

Your April 17 editorial “If schools’ matter, teachers must be prioritized” was a timely message and a needed wake-up call to those who value education in our state. Our teachers face a myriad of tasks on a daily basis while experiencing persistent uncertainty such as school funding, staffing shortages, shifting legislation issues, etc. Idaho is losing teachers and consistently ranks in the bottom 10 nationally for education. A subsequent article stated that Idaho ranked last in per-pupil spending in fiscal year 2024.

Given these statistics, I hope your editorial will be reprinted and receive the full attention of the people elected to make our teachers, schools and students a top priority.

CAROL PARR

Coeur d’Alene