By Darrell Kerby
Bonners Ferry
The recent passage of our two‐year maintenance and operations levy in School District #101 — with 2,135 voters in favor — demonstrates that our community remains resolute in its commitment to superior public education. This local triumph reflects our collective determination to support quality educators, well-rounded programs, and, most importantly, the future of our children.
Yet as we celebrate this hard‐earned win, we must confront an unsettling reality: the Idaho legislature’s growing emphasis on funding alternative educational programs is steering us away from the constitutional promise of free, uniform and thorough public schools. The state’s founding document, through Article IX of the Idaho Constitution, clearly mandates the establishment and maintenance of a consistent public school system.
However, recent legislative proposals—ranging from the expansion of virtual charter schools and credit-enhancement programs to the introduction of a Universal Education Grant—divert critical resources away from traditional public schools.
These alternative programs, such as virtual charter schools, have been presented as innovative solutions to modern educational challenges. Yet experiences in other states have shown that when funding shifts toward such alternatives, it often results in a fragmented educational landscape. For example, states that have embraced significant funding for charter and virtual programs frequently see widening disparities in educational outcomes.
Traditional public schools, which were designed to serve all students equally, tend to struggle with chronic underfunding, while alternative programs — often less accountable to uniform educational standards — receive resources that can foster uneven learning opportunities.
The result is a patchwork system that undermines the constitutional call for an education that is not only free and accessible, but also uniform in quality for every child.
Moreover, the diversion of funds to these niche programs has a tangible human cost. Communities across other states have observed that while alternative education models can offer short-term flexibility, they sometimes fail to deliver the comprehensive classroom engagement and standardization that a robust public school system requires. In states experiencing these shifts, traditional schools serve as the primary, consistent environment for learning, yet they are increasingly left to shoulder the financial burden of providing a complete education. This not only introduces inequity but also risks compromising the very quality of education that public schools were created to guarantee.
As we proudly support our local schools through this levy, let it be clear that our success should not obscure the need for systemic reform. Instead, it must energize us to demand that Idaho’s legislature realign its fiscal priorities. We must insist that our elected officials honor the constitutional mandate designed to secure equal educational opportunity for every child, rather than favoring funding shifts that create winners and losers across different districts.
Education is, and must remain, an investment in our collective future. In light of the experiences from other states where similar funding decisions have led to fragmented and inequitable systems, the message to our state legislators is clear: fund our traditional, comprehensive public schools as dictated by the Idaho Constitution, and ensure that innovation does not come at the expense of equity and quality in education.