‘Invest’ launches local campaign

SANDPOINT — In a way, Reclaim Idaho co-founder Luke Mayville told those gathered to hear more about the group’s education ballot initiative Saturday in Sandpoint, “Invest in Idaho” is taking the group back to its roots.

Mayville and friends Garrett and Emily Strizich grew up in Sandpoint and were hearing from friends and family worried the Lake Pend Oreille School District’s March 2017 supplemental levy would fail. A plant facilities levy six months earlier had failed by a two-to-one margin. The pair quickly organized to ensure that others got the chance for the same opportunities they’d gotten in school. Mayville flew home, and with 50-60 volunteers knocked on 2,700 or so doors around the school district. Ten days later, the levy passed by a two-to-one margin.

That inspired the group to launch Reclaim Idaho and its successful Medicaid expansion initiative, approved by 61 percent of the state’s voters in November 2018. The group now hopes to have the same success with “Invest in Idaho,” an education ballot initiative that

Reclaim Idaho says the proposed initiative would generate $200 million per year for Idaho’s public and charter schools by restoring the state’s corporate tax back to 8 percent and ask the state’s wealthiest individuals to pay slightly more on earnings over $500,000 for a couple.

Under existing rules, the group must gather 55,057 signatures statewide — 6 percent of registered voters — and 6 percent of registered voters in 18 of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts. The signatures must be gathered by April 30.

Reclaim Idaho co-founder Luke Mayville and Rebecca Schroeder, the group’s executive director, were in Sandpoint on Saturday as part of a statewide “20 Days of Action” tour to organize volunteers and supporters for its “Invest in Idaho” education ballot initiative. A stop is planned for Coeur d’Alene on Monday at 6 p.m. The pair will be speaking at 620 N. 16th St.

Mayville told those gathered — more than 50 were packed into the upstairs of Matchwood Brewing — that a conversation with the new Invest in Idaho county leader for Benewah County sums up what the initiative is all about for him. As he thanked him and got ready to hang up the phone, Mayville said he asked the man why he was getting involved.

“And he said, ‘I just don’t think we’re giving the next generation of kids the same opportunities that we had.’ And that is what I think this initiative is all about.”

It doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican, it doesn’t matter if you are young or old. For most Idahoans, it boils down to one thing — giving the state’s youth a chance for a bright future.

“It’s just a kind of instinctive for the vast majority of people in this state that you oughta leave the next generation as good of opportunities as you had,” he said. “And that if you had any opportunities in life, it’s only because the generation before you decided to invest in you so that’s something I think this initiative takes head on.”

Reclaim Idaho officials said, if approved by voters, the initiative would generate up to $200 million per year for Idaho’s public and charter schools. Investments would go into a Quality Education Fund which could be used for paying teachers competitive salaries, providing full-day kindergarten for Idaho kids, and strengthening Career-Technical training throughout the state, among other uses.

The aim is to address the funding crisis facing the state’s schools, where levies provide anywhere from 10-40 percent of a district’s budget, Mayville said. Each time a levy goes before voters, districts, residents and teachers know there’s a chance that funding could be gone overnight.

That all-day kindergarten could be cut to a half-day or tuition fees imposed. Schools could close, like the middle school in Kamiah this past year when its levy failed. Career-technical education, often expensive to operate, could be cut and key programs funding agricultural education, welding and computer science to name a few could be gone, he said, as could arts, music and drama programs. And the most important component to students’ success — districts’ best, most talented and experienced teachers could be cut or decide to leave because of funding cuts or funding uncertainty.

“This is about giving opportunity to Idaho’s kids no matter where they live in the state,” Mayville said. “You could talk about them pursuing whatever dreams they might have but it’s even more basic than that in this state. It’s about giving them a better chance to make a living. Just giving them a better chance to possibly become employed in a job where they could support a family some day.”

The initiative aims to make a difference, to give Idaho’s youth a better chance to make a living in two ways — access to strong programs such as CTE training and give them access to the best, most experienced teachers.

“A lot of this goes back to that, to keeping our qualified, experienced teachers in Idaho,” Mayville said, noting that 80 percent of those polled in a recent survey had a favorable image of the state’s teachers. “They’re more popular that any politician,” he added.

While some might contend the state has increased its investment in its youth and boosted the money it spends on education, Mayville said Idaho has yet to return to the funding levels of 20 years ago when he was a student at Sandpoint High School. As a percentage of the state’s economy, funding has declined and during the Great Recession, education funding was “cut to the bone.” That didn’t stop until 2013, when the state began to restore funding.

Imagine you are in an accident and rushed to the hospital. First you want them to keep you alive and stop the bleeding. Then you want them to give you the care, medicine and planning you need to get on the road to recovery, Mayville said.

“We were dead, we were in critical condition and we flatlined,” he added, continuing the analogy. “All we’ve done is stop the bleeding since then because when you look at how much we invest as a percentage of our economy, it hasn’t gone up. It’s just stayed steady so it’s three-fourths of where it used to be 20 years ago.”

As Reclaim Idaho did when it launched its Medicaid expansion initiative, Mayville said the group wants to add a third voice to the conversation on education funding — the voters. Then, like now, the debate has been between those who don’t want to do anything and those who want to do the bare minimum to show they care.

“What we’re trying to do is create a third powerful voice that doesn’t yet exist and it’s the majority of the state and that’s the view that the bare minimum isn’t enough for our kids,” he said. “The bare minimum isn’t enough for our kids. It isn’t enough to stop the bleeding. We actually have to invest in the next generation.”

Caroline Lobsinger can be reached by email at clobsinger@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @CarolDailyBee.