POCATELLO — The head of a grassroots organization that hopes to add an initiative increasing funding for Idaho education to the fall election ballot will be in town Feb. 12 recruiting local volunteers willing to circulate petitions.

The Reclaim Idaho-backed Quality Education Act would generate more than $323.5 million annually for Idaho classrooms from kindergarten through 12th grade. The initiative would restore the corporate income tax rate to 8 percent and would add a 4.5 percent income tax on earnings over $500,000 per year for married couples and $250,000 per year for individuals.

The founder of Reclaim Idaho, Luke Mayville, will answer interested volunteers’ questions at 2 p.m. at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 209 N. Garfield Ave. The event will serve as a “pep rally” to drive enthusiasm for the petition drive’s final push, explained Mary McAleese, Reclaim Idaho’s volunteer coordinator for Bannock County.

Petition drives to get the initiative on the ballot are taking place throughout the state, and some are further along than others, McAleese said.

“We have only 10 solid volunteers (in Bannock County) who come out on a regular basis, and we need several dozen volunteers to help finish this off,” McAleese said.

If passed, about 1 percent of Idaho residents at the top of the income ladder would be affected, according to Reclaim Idaho.

Her volunteers have been gathering petitions locally in public places and in public events, including Idaho State University football tailgate parties and the monthly First Friday Art Walk in Historic Downtown Pocatello. They also gathered signatures at the polls during Pocatello’s recent mayoral runoff election. McAleese said about 75 percent of the signatures gathered locally have been verified as coming from local registered voters.

Signatures must all be gathered by May 1. McAleese said Bannock County, which includes legislative districts 28 and 29, is about half way toward meeting its threshold of 1,650 good signatures.

“We have to have so many different (legislative) districts qualify. People don’t realize how difficult it is to qualify these different districts,” McAleese said. “Getting an initiative on the ballot is hard — really, really hard.”

Reclaim Idaho started its work on the current education initiative drive in 2019 and nearly met the goal when COVID-19 hit and derailed the effort.

McAleese was motivated to participate in the current campaign based on Reclaim Idaho’s success at getting Medicaid expanded in Idaho. The organization got the issue on the 2018 fall election ballot, and it was approved by 61 percent of Idahoans, expanding coverage to struggling residents who fell within an income eligibility gap.

“I was able to see the power of volunteers in making the initiative process work,” McAleese said.

McAleese, a retired teacher, explained Idaho ranks last among the states in its per-student spending on education.

“It has been for years and years and we just keep falling behind,” McAleese said.

The initiative would help fund teacher salaries, wages for support staff, career-technical education and other underfunded programs. It could not be used to compensate administrators. McAleese said the initiative’s benefits would be equally enjoyed by rural school districts, where the need for additional educational funding is especially acute.

“There are so many programs cut in small districts throughout our state. This would really level the playing field for a lot of those rural districts,” said McAleese, whose husband once taught high school and junior high in Challis.

McAleese said even agreeing to circulate a single petition and returning a dozen signatures would be a big help to the cause.

“The initiative process to me allows the people to speak,” McAleese said. “Let the people decide.”

Anyone seeking additional information about volunteering may contact McAleese at 208-604-0123.