It's time for Democrats to deliver

The legislative session isn't even half done, and Democrats in Helena are shamefully slipping away from their responsibility to solve Montana's school funding problem.

How can this be?

Every person who sought office last year knew that school funding would be the singular priority during the current legislative session.

The state Supreme Court did not ask, did not suggest, did not hint that lawmakers define and deliver a basic quality education to Montana schools. The court ORDERED the task to be complete by October 2005.

But somehow this has been forgotten in just the last couple weeks.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer offered up an $80 million increase in funding for schools last week, along with a press release in which he pledged "to begin addressing a court order to ensure a basic system of quality education to Montana students" over the next couple years.

The release says that Schweitzer, Superintendent of Schools Linda McCulloch and legislative leaders "will work over the legislative interim to begin designing a public education funding system" that complies with the court order.

Translation: The plan is to study the problem for the next couple years so the next Legislature can solve the problem. Never mind that the quality education issue has been heavily studied for the last two years or that it's currently the top topic for as many as six legislative panels.

What's baffling is the education establishment's apparent complicity with the sudden duck-and-run from a Supreme Court order.

Where's the outrage? We have heard none.

But maybe it's not so baffling. It's no secret that the education establishment predominantly supports Democrats, and perhaps there's a willingness to let the Dems slide on this particular court order.

If Republicans were still in charge, there can be no doubt that their feet would be held to the fire, and if they failed to deliver, there would be a tar-and-feather party at the end of the session.

What's become painfully obvious is that lawmakers are unwilling to confront the fact that affordability will be a key part of the equation that ultimately solves this problem.

There is little political will to define and implement the "quality" education that has been proposed so far, because the huge price tag would be fully realized by the voting public. So far, the cost of quality has been treated like a political hand grenade.

That's what is most troublesome about dragging this out. If a quality education is gradually delivered in bits and pieces, its complete cost will be difficult to grasp as it is gradually manifested over time.

The Inter Lake has been criticized by the education establishment for making such a big deal out of cost, the argument being that it's somehow immoral to put a price tag on a constitutional right.

We completely disagree. Affordability is extremely important when it comes to the subjective nature of "a basic system of quality education."

The state Constitution also guarantees a highly subjective "clean and healthful environment," but that doesn't mean Montanans should be required to drive slow-moving, battery-operated cars that don't pollute.

The task at hand is to define and provide a quality education that most Montanans are willing to support with their tax dollars. The state's political leaders are obligated to deliver this year.