Idaho State Superintendent of Public Instruction calls for greater state support – proposed budget asks for $47.5 million more to support public schools.

For more than five years, teacher salaries have been eroded by the rising cost of health care, retirement and day-to-day expenses, but now it appears the state is trying to turn the tide.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Marilyn Howard is visiting every education region in Idaho to bolster support for a proposed budget that asks for $47.5 million more to support public schools.

Howard said the proposal comes after four years of level funding and rising costs that "have eroded the capacity of schools to offer even basic educational programs."

By Joshua Palmer
Times-News writer

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