A bill to make state funds for public schools “binding” will not advance this legislative session amid bipartisan opposition. 

The House Education Committee voted 10-3 Wednesday to hold House Bill 634. Rep. Kyle Harris’ proposal would have required that K-12 funding “intended for a certain purpose” be used “only for such purpose.” The bill would have created penalties for violations.

Harris, R-Lewiston, said lawmakers on the budget-writing Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee — of which Harris is a member — could still give districts and charter schools flexibility to spend state funds. 

“We give you money for math, you can only use it for math. Technically, that’s what’s stated,” he said. “But in JFAC we have the ability to use spending authority language.”

Rep. Douglas Pickett, R-Oakley, expressed discomfort with giving JFAC this level of policymaking authority. Other House Education members worried that the bill would “micromanage” public school spending and limit schools’ ability to be innovative.

“I don’t really think that successful organizations are dominated by high-level autocratic control,” said Rep. Michael Veile, R-Soda Springs, a former public school trustee. 

Rep. Mark Sauter, a Republican from Sandpoint, added, “I’m concerned that we’re going to put a belt and suspenders on the whole budgeting process.”

Harris sponsored the same bill last year. It cleared House Education and garnered overwhelming support in the full House before stalling in the Senate. 

Advocates for traditional public schools and charters also opposed the proposal Wednesday. In addition to undermining local control, the “rigid rules” would limit schools’ ability to meet the unique needs of students and cover rising costs, said Andy Grover, executive director of the Idaho Association of School Administrators. 

After voting down HB 634 Wednesday, the committee introduced a separate proposal that also aims to strengthen K-12 funding guardrails — but with a lighter touch. 

Harris is co-sponsoring the alternative with Rep. Monica Church, a Boise Democrat and public school teacher. Church said Wednesday that she approached Harris to collaborate after he proposed the precursor to HB 634 last year. 

“I said, ‘You’re on to something about transparency and about trust. But what you’re asking is impossible, because the system of education just does not operate that way,’” she recalled. “I’ll take the blame as an educator. We have not done a very good job of explaining how the system works.”

The new bill would update several definitions in state law tied to K-12 funding. For instance, it would provide a “clear, consistent, picture” of what qualifies as an administrator, teacher and other staff member in public schools. 

House Education unanimously voted to introduce the bill, which could return for a public hearing.

State Board gives green light to Idaho State medical lab expansion

Idaho State University will work on a $7.9 million expansion of a Meridian medical facility, under a cooperative agreement.

The Treasure Valley Anatomy and Physiology Laboratories expansion will provide space for growing medical education programs in Southwest Idaho. State Board of Education officials also hailed the project as a model collaboration between Idaho State, the University of Idaho and the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine.

“This is exactly the kind of partnership we’re excited about,” State Board Executive Director Jennifer White said Wednesday, minutes before the board unanimously approved the partnership and the expansion.

The labs, located at Idaho State’s Meridian campus, are facing increased demand. ICOM, a for-profit medical school that partners with Idaho State, is growing its enrollment, Idaho State, meanwhile, launched a nurse anesthetist’s program last fall. “We are absolutely in need of this expansion,” said Rex Force, Idaho State’s vice president for health sciences.

The 6,130-square-foot project would expand the labs’ learning stations from 34 to 50.

Idaho State will pay $3.9 million toward the project, using budget reserves. The U of I will pay $2 million, which one donor pledge could cover in full. ICOM will pay the remaining $2 million.

The lab project could support another collaborative effort, designed to provide a new medical school option in Idaho. The U of I and the University of Utah are working on a partnership to offer medical school classes at the U of I’s Idaho Water Center in Boise. The Meridian expansion would accommodate lab work for the U of I-Utah program, without the need for “a separate anatomy facility” in Boise, State Board staff said in a written briefing on the lab project.

In other State Board news from Wednesday morning:

Federal waivers. The board gave state superintendent Debbie Critchfield the go-ahead to pursue leeway from the federal government, on two fronts.

Critchfield will seek an “Ed-Flex” waiver, which would allow Idaho districts and charters to apply to the state for federal spending latitude, rather than applying to Uncle Sam. The move would save local educators the “nightmare” of the federal application process, said State Board member Pete Koehler, a former Nampa school superintendent.

Critchfield also has the green light to negotiate waivers on federal testing requirements. She wants high school students to be able to choose from several exams, instead of simply taking the high school Idaho Standards Achievement Test. She’d also like to eliminate the required third-grade ISAT exam in English language arts, since third graders already take the Idaho Reading Indicator.

A Westmark SUB. The board approved naming rights for Boise State University’s student union building. Idaho Falls-based Westmark Credit Union will pay $8 million over 10 years for the naming rights. Westmark will open a branch in the SUB, and will be dubbed Boise State’s “official credit union sponsor.” 

Special education funding and virtual schools bills easily pass committee

A pair of historically contentious issues — special education funding and virtual schools policy — sailed through the Senate Education Committee Wednesday afternoon.

The unanimous votes send both bills to the Senate floor for potential votes in the next few days.

Special education. Senate Bill 1288 would create a $5 million program for “high-needs” students, such as students who need full-time staff support. The state would begin covering student costs exceeding $30,000. About 40% of the funding would be earmarked for rural schools, which can be hit hardest by the cost of educating a high-needs student.

“We educate everyone,” said Sen. Camille Blaylock, the bill’s sponsor. “We don’t sort kids by cost or complexity.”

State superintendent Debbie Critchfield is also pushing for the bill — earmarking money for the new fund by moving money from existing Idaho Department of Education accounts. She has said the high-needs program is a step toward addressing a statewide special education funding shortfall of more than $100 million.

Paula Mason — the interim head of Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind — was among several people who testified in favor of the bill. She noted that these special education services, now bankrolled by districts and charters, are mandated by the federal government. “These are not enhancements.”

The Senate last year killed a similar high-needs bill, with a $3 million price tag, by a single vote.

Virtual schools. House Bill 624 seeks to address a host of virtual school policies under one roof.

Among other things, the bill would tighten up the way parents can use supplemental learning funds, taxpayer dollars designed to cover at-home learning costs. Virtual schools award some $20 million of these funds — a focal point in a stinging legislative review released in December.

The bill also would require certification of all virtual school teachers and the use of  curriculum that aligns with state academic standards. The bill would also tighten state oversight of education service providers, the private vendors that contract with virtual schools.

Two of the bill’s co-sponsors, Reps. Douglas Pickett, R-Oakley, and Soñia Galaviz, D-Boise, said HB 624 seeks to balance oversight and innovation. Both said virtual schools are here to stay, with Pickett saying the schools serve families who would otherwise leave the public school system entirely.

Terri Sorensen — the executive director of the Idaho Home Learning Academy, the state’s largest virtual school — said the bill marks “the vital next step” in IHLA’s evolution.

HB 624 has already passed the House unanimously.

House, Senate approve raft of education bills

The full House and Senate quickly and unanimously approved a raft of education-related bills and one resolution. 

The House approved: 

• House Bill 608, eliminating a provision in the Public School Facilities Cooperative Fund that requires some districts to fail a bond before qualifying for the revolving loan money. It now goes to the Senate. 
• House Bill 636, allowing public schools to spend School District Facilities Funds (created by House Bill 292 from 2023) on lease-purchase agreements — after the district pays down existing bonds and levies. It heads to the Senate.
• House Resolution 22, approving pending Idaho Department of Education and State Board of Education rules. 

The Senate approved: 

• House Bill 515, requiring that public schools notify parents when their children are involved in a bullying incident that leads to suspension. The bill now goes to the governor’s desk. 
• Senate Bill 1244, repealing sections of state law that apply to regional library systems, which no longer exist. It now heads to the House.