Gov. Butch Otter is reneging on his promise to reinvest in public education, Democratic gubernatorial candidate A.J. Balukoff said in a new fundraising email.
Said Balukoff, a longtime Boise School Board member: “In the governor’s recent state of the state address, he suggested that Idaho put another $35 million in the rainy day fund, rather than heal the devastating cuts to public education. My message to the governor is this: it’s raining and the roofs are leaking. It’s time we make real economic investment in Idaho’s most precious resource, our kids.”
The Otter budget request calls for a 2.9 percent spending increase for K-12, and a $35 million deposit into the state’s budget stabilization fund. An additional $29.3 million would go into the Public Education Stabilization Fund, which is earmarked for K-12.
More from the Balukoff fundraiser: “If you’re like me, you’re tired of reading the headlines only to find that we’ve fallen even further behind. I’m running for governor, because it’s time to make good on the promises we’ve made to our children and future generations. It’s time to end the race to the bottom.”
Balukoff, a CPA and Boise businessman, is trailing in the 2014 gubernatorial fundraising race. He raised $110,860.35 in the final weeks of 2013, according to his most recent campaign finance report — but that includes $90,000 in loans and in-kind contributions Balukoff has made to his campaign. (Here’s a link for more from the finance reports.)
