Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield warned Idaho’s school trustees Thursday that 2026 could be a critical year for school funding, likening it to the 2008 recession.
“I think we’re going into one of those years, a marker year, where we sit up and we say, all right, how are we going to do this?” Critchfield said.
Critchfield spoke at the Idaho School Boards Association annual conference in Coeur d’Alene, largely addressing budget woes.
She encouraged trustees not to view the higher-than-typical rate of levy failures last week as a sign of anti-public education sentiment — but to instead consider it a sign that their communities are strapped financially.
“When I talk to people in the community, it is less about their support for education and more about the economic strain that they feel,” Critchfield said.
While K-12 public education was held harmless in the 3% midyear budget cuts imposed in August, state revenues are lagging. So Critchfield is only making one budget ask this year: $50 million for special education services.
If approved, the funds would start closing the $100 million gap between what schools spend on special education, and state and federal reimbursements.
She asked trustees to help get the fund approved by talking to their legislators.
“We are going to work hard and we ask you to help us in telling the stories of the why,” Critchfield said.
She also asked for increased flexibility with a number of budget line items, so districts would be able to use those funds where they have shortfalls.
Critchfield encouraged trustees to look for ways to combine resources, particularly for professional services.
“We have 190 (local education agencies), districts and charters around the state,” Critchfield said. “Is that sustainable for us long-term?”
Check back Friday to see the trustees’ priorities for the legislative session as they vote on a series of resolutions.
Incoming ISBA president sees himself as an ‘everyman’
Volunteering is a way of life in rural communities, says Jason Sevy.
He grew up in Marsing, watching his parents step up. “If you do not have volunteers, your community will fail.”
Nearly a decade ago, Sevy saw an ad in the newspaper for a vacancy on the Marsing school board, and answered the call.
This week, Sevy will take over as the president of the Idaho School Boards Association.
Sevy, 46, served as the regional representative on the ISBA executive board for eight years, served two years as vice president and then served as president-elect. Seeking the presidency was the “next logical step,” he said.
ISBA presidents serve as president-elect for one year, then a year as president and then a final third year as past president. Sevy likes being involved and finds any chance he can to step up, from coaching to FFA to leading ISBA.
Sevy said he’s the first ISBA president from Owyhee County and hopes to represent small rural schools while on the board. (Marsing has just 860 K-12 students.)
The two biggest issues he sees facing rural schools are private school choice and a lack of special education funding.
When it comes to school choice, Sevy said it’s unlikely private companies would find much financial payoff in opening a school in counties with just a few thousand students. He worries that the more public funds that go toward private education, the less legislators will feel they need to invest in public schools.
Special education funding is also a huge issue for rural schools, he said. The most needy kids are being underserved, Sevy said.
