BOISE, Idaho — Grassroots non-profit Reclaim Idaho delivered around 100,000 signatures to the Idaho Secretary of State's office to get their Quality Education Act on the November ballot.
Individual counties have already verified these signatures, according to Reclaim Idaho Co-Founder Luke Mayville. The Secretary of State's office will review, and confirm, the petition before the Quality Education Act official makes the ballot.
The Quality Education Act aims to collect $323,526,400 annually for Idaho public schools. The initiative would create a new tax bracket for any person earning more than 250-thousand dollars a year, or a married couple earning more than half-a-million dollars.
Each dollar earned above this threshold would be taxed at 10.925%.
"These things need to be funded. Our legislators are not doing what they need to do," Twin Fall second grade teacher Leah Jones said. "This isn't gonna solve all the problems in public schools, but it's a good start because we have been going down since I started."
Leah Jones signed the petition.
She loves her job as a teacher; however, staffing shortages, low wages, and stress to fill in the gaps has overshadowed the classroom moments she cherishes the most.
"I love seeing them grow, I love seeing them learn," Jones said.
However, it's tough to help these kids grow without the necessary resources, according to Jones.
"I won’t leave the state. I'm gonna stay with my family, but I have thought about leaving the profession and going to a different profession, because I'm so tired," Jones said.
Jones is specifically tired of being in last place.
Idaho is dead last in the country for per-student spending, according to a 2021-22 ranking report from the National Education Association. The Gem State spends $8,662 annually per student. Utah is the only other state spending less than $10,000.
"These kids need so much. So much more than what we're doing - than what we can give. We need more help," Jones said.
A chain of matching green-shirt Reclaim Idaho supporters extended their hands to offer that help, hand delivering the 100,000 signatures, in colorful backpacks, to the Secretary of State's office.
The Quality Education Act also increases the corporate tax rate from 6% up to 8%; however, local business owner Gary Multanen still supports the proposed initiative.
Multanen is the chairman of Bestbath in Caldwell. Educated and skilled workers are in high demand, Multanen said. Bestbath is often on the hook to assist entry-level employees finish high school or even consider further education.
"We just have a legislature that is absolutely not doing its job with education," Multanen said. "If you take pride in being last in the nation, then keep that attitude. If you'd like to see Idaho climb up in the ranks, then you need to be willing to pay more taxes, end of story."
An Initiative needs 65,000 valid signatures from registered Idaho voters to get on a ballot. Those signatures also must represent at least 6% of 18 different legislative districts across the state.
An initiative needs 50 percent plus one vote to become state law, and the outcome of this vote could be a deciding factor for Leah Jones and other educators.
"I might be one of those teachers that I've watched leave, that went to college to be a teacher, that loves teaching and working with kids. And I just can't anymore," Jones said. "There will be more like me leaving if nothing changes. And they'll be shorter on teachers. They're already short. It's just not, it's not fair to our students. They deserve quality educators."
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