Legislators asks for input

Representative Wendy Jaquet asks for your input as they struggle to find ways to cut education.
Here are some suggestions sent via email across the state:

........Some options for cost savings have been suggested. We could reduce the teacher contract days by five days. This would be a furlough, similar to what is happening in several state agencies. Each day equals $5.3 million dollars; Five days equals $26 .5 million. We could reduce the teacher staff allowance. About 1,400 teachers leave each year. This reduction would reduce the number of teachers by 600. Each district would have the flexibility to protect critical programs. This would save about $37 million dollars. We could also freeze the salary increases for experience for one year, resulting in $6 million in savings.

We could defer new textbooks, $9,950,000 or eliminate state funding for school supplies, $5,379,500. We could repeal the math initiative at $3.9 million dollars. We could eliminate teacher early retirement, $4 million dollars. We could use the $25 million dollars set aside for safety improvements and we could eliminate the maintenance requirement reserve, resulting in $21 million dollars in savings. We could allow appropriate advertising inside school buses.

We could go to a four day school week which could possibly save up to $28 million dollars. We could go to an alternating all day kindergarten and not reimburse for mid-day school bussing, saving $6 million dollars. We could eliminate bussing for field trips, etc. to save $5 million.

Feel free to post your ideas or comments here or contact Representative Jaguet directly at wjaquet@house.idaho.gov or by phone at 208/332-1211.

See rest of email/website click here.

Thank you for your input.