BOISE -- For Idaho students who think school lasts forever, two lawmakers want to pay them to speed up their education.
Reps. Steve Thayn, a Republican from Emmett, and Branden Durst, a Boise Democrat, say Idaho taxpayers now fund districts to the tune of about $4,593 annually for each of their public school students.
Their plan, called the Master Advancement Pilot Project, would pay about a third of that, or about $1,531, to students for each year they graduate early as a scholarship at one of Idaho's publicly funded colleges and universities.
Idaho would then split the remaining $3,062 with districts, resulting in tens or even hundreds of thousands in savings to Idaho.
This plan, introduced Monday in the House Education Committee, would let 21 of the state's 115 school districts and three of 41 charter schools participate for six years, to see how it works.
It's due a full hearing in coming weeks.
