Idaho's patchwork-quilt way of financing schools does not provide enough stable financial resources for many rural schools. Tax levies are sometimes unsuccessful. Some rural districts have depended on forest revenues, but this source dwindled following new environmental policies. Federal legislation may return a portion of forest revenues, but…

Cleveland voters soundly rejected a levy intended to bolster the school district's finances, a move widely interpreted as a referendum on the performance of its leader, Barbara Byrd-Bennett. Two-thirds of the voters who turned out for the Aug. 2 special election cast their ballots against Issue 3, which would have raised more than $45 million to…