My family and I moved to Idaho six years ago when we began evaluating schools in San Diego County. We were on vacation here in Ketchum; we loved its beauty, safety and community. When we returned home we looked into the school district in Blaine County and our decision was sealed. And thank God! California literally fell apart shortly after. I have several friends who are teachers, or should I say were teachers, in California. They are now unemployed. There are no longer music, art or even physical education classes offered. Using the school bus is now an "extra" paid for by the student.
It is so disheartening that our little piece of heaven over in the Wood River Valley is being dismantled by Boise legislators. And why? It is not that we are pulling money from other programs over here. We are self-sufficient. We were fine the way we were; we were really fine before somebody decided to take school education funding out of sales tax instead of property tax.
Excuse me, was anyone in Blaine County asked about that "little" change? The last time I checked my mortgage statement it showed we are the ones still paying the Blaine County property tax. We are a democracy still, right?
I am so disappointed about this situation. Our school system will be ruined, as will eventually the community in Blaine County, if our school funding is cut. I can tell you that we would not have moved over to Idaho given the current proposed school funding situation. Shouldn't the direction of schools in Idaho be to model themselves after Blaine County, not pull us down to join in on the "49th best" school system in the United States?
The time for us to halt these changes in our school system funding is now, before another "fast one" is slipped by us again! Please get involved and contact your state representative before it's too late.
Linda Martin
Ketchum
