Signature collecting begins for school-funding initiative

Backers of a proposed ballot initiative to raise $170 million for K-12 public schools by increasing taxes on the wealthy and corporations have started collecting signatures to get the measure on the November 2020 ballot.

Reclaim Idaho spokesman Jeremy Gugino said Monday that the group started the effort over the weekend after the Idaho attorney general’s office approved ballot language, and the secretary of state’s office late Friday gave the OK to start collecting signatures.

The secretary of state’s office says the group must now collect 55,000 signatures from registered voters by April 30, 2020.

The initiative calls for raising the tax rate by 3% to just under 10% on individuals making more than $250,000.

The tax rate for corporations would increase by about 1% to 8%.