Idaho Passed $2 Billion in Funding for School Building Repairs. It’s Not Nearly Enough.
A new cost estimate and early reports from districts receiving state funds show that small districts are still struggling to meet their most dire needs, forcing them to turn to voters to approve additional funds.
Local Reporting Network
We Enlisted a Community to Help Us Report on One State’s Crumbling Schools. Here’s How You Can Do the Same.
Do you want to document problems with school facilities around your state? Reporters from ProPublica and The Idaho Statesman offer some tips.
Local Reporting Network
After Decades, Voters Finally OK Replacement for Crumbling Idaho School
The vote follows a yearlong investigation by the Idaho Statesman and ProPublica into how the state’s restrictive funding policies left students studying in deteriorating buildings across the state.
Local Reporting Network
The Influential Conservative Group Making it Harder for Idaho Districts to Fix Their Schools
The Idaho Freedom Foundation has gone beyond the education culture wars by targeting local bond and levy elections, which districts rely on heavily to build and repair schools.
Local Reporting Network
Idaho Legislature Approves $2 Billion for Schools to Repair and Replace Aging Buildings
The funding was pledged by Gov. Brad Little after an Idaho Statesman and ProPublica investigation showed students learning in poor conditions. Educators say it’s only a start to fixing decades-old problems.
Local Reporting Network
Idaho Resolution Would Aim to Lower Voting Threshold to Pass School Bonds
Under restrictive school funding policies, Idaho districts struggle to repair and replace deteriorating buildings. If voters agree, the proposal would, in some elections, reduce the two-thirds threshold needed to pass bonds for school repairs.
Local Reporting Network
Idaho Legislature Takes Up Bill to Help School Districts Repair and Replace Buildings
The bill would provide $1.5 billion in new funding in a state where communities have struggled to pass bonds even as some students learn in freezing and overcrowded classrooms with leaky ceilings and discolored drinking water.
Local Reporting Network
Idaho Governor Proposes $2 Billion in Funding for School Buildings Over Next 10 Years
Gov. Brad Little cited reporting by the Idaho Statesman and ProPublica as he laid out his plan for a massive infrastructure investment in the state’s public schools during Monday’s State of the State address.
Local Reporting Network
Idaho Hasn’t Assessed School Buildings for 30 Years. Students and Educators Helped Us Do It Ourselves.
To understand the problems plaguing underfunded schools in Idaho, we surveyed 115 superintendents, toured 39 buildings and collected accounts from hundreds of students, parents and teachers.
Local Reporting Network
Falling Apart
Students and educators in Idaho show us what it’s like when a state fails to fund school repairs.
Local Reporting Network
Idaho Lawmakers Are Discussing a Proposal That Would Make It Easier to Repair Schools
For decades, Idaho’s high bar for school bonds has led to building conditions that students and teachers say make it difficult to learn. Amending the state constitution would help districts secure funding, but doing so won’t be easy.
Local Reporting Network