If voters pass the bill into law November 7, the state Constitution will be amended to allow the state to sell off Public School Endowment lands that have been providing the primary source of public instruction funding in Idaho for over 100 years.
Current law protects the lands from being sold, although they can be exchanged for other lands.
The original intent was to provide a perpetual source of revenue for the public schools. This revenue would originate from timber sales, mining operations, grazing land leases, etc., plus the interest accruing from this revenue. HJR 1, sponsored by Senator Judy Danielson of Council, would allow sale of these lands to individuals or the federal government and the money would be put in a fund which could ultimately be used for school purposes. According to this amendment, the money could also be used to purchase other lands. However, if all the money was used to purchase other lands, the result would not be much different than the current situation.