School Funding
‘Not enough’: Educators call for more K-12 funding at North Idaho listening session
“We can’t take pride in being funded dead last in the country and expect significant improvement,” Coeur d’Alene Superintendent Shon Hocker told attendees at the final stop of a statewide tour seeking input on how to modernize Idaho’s K-12 funding formula.
Some districts cut, others hold steady as new fiscal year nears
Trustees across Idaho are planning expenses for 2026-27 — from teacher salaries to curriculum and utility costs. And this year, many have fewer dollars to spend.
Feds approve Idaho’s flexibility waiver for school funds
State superintendent Debbie Critchfield said the changes should reduce administrative requirements and allow districts and charters to direct funding where it’s most needed.
Idaho Falls listening session echoes calls for enrollment-based funding
Several speakers providing input to state leaders said Idaho’s current attendance‑based model forces districts to predict the future, making budgets uncertain because core costs stay fixed, even when daily attendance drops.
Boise trustees approve contract, salary for incoming superintendent
Wendy Johnson will earn 0.5% more than her predecessor, an annual increase tied to teacher raises in the district.
State officials gather feedback on ‘outdated’ school funding formula
In the first of four statewide listening sessions, parents, administrators and trustees recommended changes to how Idaho distributes money to public schools.
Critchfield launches statewide talks on school funding overhaul
The complex formula hasn’t had a meaningful update since the 1990s, and state policymakers have debated changes for more than a decade, with little progress.
Idaho schools reduce staff amid rising costs, enrollment declines
Local budgets are tightening, even though K-12 was mostly spared from state cuts this year.
Idaho schools brace for difficult budget season
INSIDE: Find school board hearing dates for districts and charters that have posted them on their websites.
Bonds fail, plant facilities struggle; most supplemental levies pass
Requests range from a $57 million bond in Kimberly to build a performing arts center to a $200,000 supplemental levy in Mackay to pay for athletics and building utilities over two years.