EMMETT, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
The Idaho Lottery commemorated its record-breaking 34th anniversary Tuesday by returning its single largest dividend to the people of Idaho.
“This is for the people of Idaho,” Jeffrey R. Anderson, Idaho Lottery director, said at Emmett Middle School. “We are making a difference in the classroom, and more importantly, in the hearts and minds of educators and children.”
The lottery reported more than $422 million in sales, topping the $300 million mark for the third time ever. As a result, it also turned over a record dividend to the state this week. On Tuesday, the Idaho Lottery Commission presented Gov. Brad Little with an $82 million check — a 12.3% increase over last year’s dividend, which was $73 million.
“The $82 million is the net revenue after all of our sales and all of our expenses,” Anderson said. “Statutorily, three-eighths goes to the Superintendent of Public Instruction for maintenance and operations at schools, three-eighths goes to the permanent building fund for public buildings — most of which goes to university projects, not all, but a lot — and then one-quarter goes to the bond levy equalization fund to pay for bonds.”
All in all, the superintendent of public instruction receives five-eighths of the money for schools and education in Idaho, Anderson said.
Little and Idaho Lottery Commission Chairman Craig Corbett awarded $51.25 million to support Idaho’s public education system — the largest single check from the Idaho Lottery to Idaho schools. Of that $51.25 million, over $30 million will go into the School Building Fund Account for operations and maintenance projects. The other $20.5 million will be allotted to the Department of Education’s Bond Levy Equalization fund, paying the interest on Idaho’s Public School bonds.
Idaho Lottery dividends are used by school districts for things like repairs, building maintenance and operational projects. Just this summer, the Emmett Independent School District began renovating the original restrooms on both floors of Emmett Middle School, first built in the 1950s.
According to Emmett Middle School Principal Debbie Dawson, the work has been funded in part by the lottery’s dividend to the school district.
“The lottery gave us a chance to be able to fund the new bathrooms and give the kids something to be proud of,” Dawson said.
For students in a rural Idaho town to have a safe school means everything to Dawson.
“Regardless of where your school is in Idaho, facilities, maintenance, aging facilities, wanting to build new facilities, are a very important issue for our school leaders all around the state,” Debbie Critchfield, Superintendent of Public Instruction, said.
Lottery funds are an important additional resource for school districts, teachers and students — and that resource wouldn’t be possible if people didn’t buy tickets, Critchfield said.
“I have seen firsthand the difference the Idaho lottery is making for schools, especially the rural schools and our communities,” Corbett said.
Last year, Corbett participated in delivering $3,000 for a library expansion in an elementary school in Preston.
“Idaho is a vast, diverse state with many needs. One common theme among every community is providing a quality education,” Corbett said. “As chairman at the Idaho Lottery Commission, I’m very proud of the contributions the lottery has made each year that improve and enhance the quality education for Idaho students.”
Over the course of 34 years, the Department of Education and Bond Levy Equalization fund have received a total of $680 million, Corbett said. The Permanent Building Fund has received over half a billion dollars.
In 1988, the Idaho Legislature presented a ballot initiative for the people to consider starting a lottery. Its affirmative vote led to the first ticket being sold 34 years ago on July 19, Anderson said.
“At that time, the lottery had a singular mission: to do good by responsibly providing the largest annual dividend possible to the state, the benefit of public education and permanent buildings,” Anderson said. “Today our do-good initiatives have grown.”
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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