Idaho School Boards Association members overwhelmingly approved 14 proposals Friday, determining the association’s legislative direction for 2023.
The resolutions include measures to expand funding flexibility, broaden districts’ ability to pay for new schools, and advocate against school vouchers.
One proposal, calling on the Legislature to boost funding for classified staff, passed with unanimous support.
Kuna trustee Kim Nixon presented the resolution. The current funding formula, she said, makes it impossible for school districts to hire and retain classified employees, which include non-teaching personnel like cafeteria staff, HR directors and IT professionals.
“We are not given enough monies in the funding formula to fund those employees,” she said. “We have to dip into our general funds. … I talked with our superintendent and in our case, we’re dipping into our general fund about $1 million to fund classified.”
There was no debate on the resolution.
A resolution to oppose vouchers amassed support during debate, but passed with a split vote.
A voucher system would allocate public funds that parents could put toward private and parochial schools. In February, lawmakers considered a bill to implement a voucher system, but the House Education Committee rejected it, after lawmakers voiced concerns that it would violate Idaho’s Blaine Amendment and take money from public schools.
These concerns dominated Friday’s debate too, as school leaders weighed the possibility that similar legislation will come forward in 2023.
“This kind of legislative session is going to be a serious debate about how public schools are funded,” said Boise trustee and incoming ISBA president Nancy Gregory. “We do not need the distraction of vouchers.”
School leaders also unanimously approved new leadership during the session. Dietrich trustee Starr Olsen was voted in as president-elect, ending his term as vice president. Brian Pyper, a regional representative on the executive board and trustee in the Madison school district, is the association’s new vice president.
Here’s how members voted on each resolution. Each statement of purpose has been published in full.
No. 1 – Classified Staff Funding, PASSED
In the years since the state’s salary based apportionment formula was enacted, school districts and charter schools have made significant changes in how they are run. The number and percentage of classified staff and technology specialists that manage human resources and technology operations has increased dramatically. The portion of the State formula that funds classified salaries and benefits was designed with custodians, school secretaries, aides in mind. The need for highly skilled human resource specialists as well as professional business managers and technology specialists to manage the complex and technical aspects of a school district and charter school has changed the role for these classified positions. Districts and charter schools now employ more professional business managers, human resource directors, network administrators, web masters, IT specialists, etc. and other skilled classified staff than ever before. Additionally, many of these professional and technical employees are hired to meet state and federal mandated requirements, including reporting in the Idaho System for Educational Excellence (ISEE), the state’s longitudinal data system.
This resolution calls for changes in the SBA formula to better reflect the need to increase the salaries and the number of FTE’s funded by the classified portion of the formula.
Sponsors: Kuna, Twin Falls, Castleford, Murtaugh, West Bonner, Filer, Blaine County, Buhl, Wendell, Kimberly, Madison, Monticello Montessori
ISBA recommendation: Do Pass
Yes votes: Unanimous
No. 2 – School Safety Funding, PASSED
School Board Members are statutorily responsible for the safety of the students and staff in each of their school districts and charter schools, and school safety is a general concern of Idaho citizens. Around the state, the needs of each school or district may differ – some may want to provide specialized training for staff, others may hire new or additional school resource officers, and others may need facility upgrades. Because none of these items are funded by a specific appropriation, they could put additional burdens on voter-approved tax levies or financially strain existing school budgets. This resolution would direct the ISBA to work with key partners to establish a “School Safety Grant Program” that public schools could apply to for funds that meet their individual needs for school safety.
Sponsors: Marsing
ISBA recommendation: Do Pass
Yes votes: 7,199
No votes: 290
No. 3 – Opposition to Diverting Public Funds, PASSED
School choice is an integral part of public education in the state of Idaho. Public school choice includes charter, magnet, at-risk alternative, virtual, and traditional schools where dual language, classical, harbor, international, Montessori, Career
Technical, STEM, and STEAM programs, among others. These programs are an integral part of what public education already offers across Idaho, funded by state tax dollars.
Idaho’s current (2022) investment in our children’s public schools ranks 50th in the country. Reducing the general fund by offering a tax credit for donations to scholarship programs or diverting already scarce resources to provide vouchers to private schools will further erode funding to current public schools all across Idaho. If our state constitution is changed, Idaho’s investment in public education will become even smaller as our taxes will be siphoned off to unaccountable private and parochial schools. We oppose amending The Idaho State Constitution, Article IX, §5, Idaho Code, also known as the Blaine Amendment, for the reasons outlined above. Idaho already has substantial choice in its public school system.
A voucher, tax-credit, or scholarship program will cause irreparable harm to our existing system of public school districts and charters, especially in rural Idaho, and will likely harm overall student achievement.
Sponsors: Boise, Meridian Medical Arts Charter, Meridian Technical Charter
ISBA recommendation: Do Pass
Yes votes: 6,509
No votes: 922
No. 4 – Amending School Age for Flexibility, PASSED
Currently Section 33-201, Idaho Code, prevents school districts and charter schools from using state dollars to support kindergarten preparedness programs for four-year- olds. By amending the current age, it will allow flexibility for local districts and charter schools to use state dollars as they see appropriate in supporting children entering kindergarten. There are no dollars attached to changing the code. It simply allows school districts and charter schools more choice in using the funding they receive in a manner that best fits their local community. This resolution would not amend the age threshold for a child enrolling in kindergarten or first grade. Nor would it be compulsory for local districts or charters to establish such programs.
Sponsors: Boise, Monticello Montessori
ISBA recommendation: Do Pass
Yes votes: 4,969
No votes: 1,420
No. 5 – Increase Terms on School Plant Facility Levy, PASSED
Changing the allowable term for a school plant facilities reserve fund levy from a period not to exceed ten years, to a period not to exceed 20 years in Idaho Code 33-804 would allow districts to access funding under the school plant facilities reserve fund levy. It would allow for a more reasonable threshold for voter approval based on the dollar amount the district needs. Further, extending the term will allow districts to ask the voting electors of the district for a necessary amount of funding over a longer period of time to help maintain lower local tax rates. This modification will assist school districts in expanding options available to manage their needs for large construction and maintenance projects in a district.
Sponsors: Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, Lakeland
ISBA recommendation: Do Pass
Yes votes: 6,685
No votes: 583
No. 6 – Personnel Funding Flexibility, PASSED
While provisions have been put in place in Idaho Code 33-1004, to compare or group similarly situated districts, the current model only grants one student above the state average in a similarly sized district before being considered out of compliance. In a majority of instances, district and charters are penalized for being out of compliance by slightly more than one student per teacher.
Because the student to teacher average is based on all funds available to a district rather than state reimbursed funds only, the districts with generous supplemental levies who hire additional certified staff impact the state average for their respective groups, creating an inequitable calculation process. Thus, districts without this supplemental funding are at a disadvantage and lose discretion of one percent of personnel funding flexibility each year under the current model.
Sponsors: Pocatello Chubbuck, Bonneville, Madison
ISBA recommendation: Do Pass
Yes votes: 6,556
No votes: 132
No. 7 – Revolving Loan Grant Fund for School Facilities, PASSED
Obtaining funding for capital improvements is a hardship on local districts and charter schools. Lottery dollars are not sufficient, and bond elections are controversial and are difficult to pass with 2/3rds majority. The fiscal impact of this resolution shall be determined on an annual basis dependent on excess funding received for the year.
Sponsors: West Bonner
ISBA recommendation: Do Pass
Yes votes: 6,779
No votes: 406
No. 8 – Impact Fees for School Districts, PASSED
Adding “Public School Facilities” to the definition of “Public Facilities” in Section 67- 8203(24) would allow school districts to access funding under Title 67 Chapter 82 for the purpose stated in Idaho Code 67-8202, namely to create “an equitable program for planning and financing public facilities needed to serve new growth and development,” which “is necessary in order to promote and accommodate orderly growth and development and to protect the public health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens of the state of Idaho”.
Sponsors: Kuna
ISBA recommendation: Do Pass
Yes votes: 5,602
No votes: 1,059
No. 9 – Five Percent Holdback Restoration, PASSED
This change will help restore technology, professional development, and content and curriculum line items in the State K-12 budget. This will save districts from having to use their general funds to cover these items when ESSER funds no longer exist.
Sponsors: Kuna, Madison
ISBA recommendation: Do Pass
Yes votes: 7,132
No votes: 121
No. 10 – Consistent and Fair Application of Land Use Planning, PASSED
Changing the language in Idaho Code § 67-6513 from “may” to “shall” will remove an inconsistency in current law and give city and county land use entities consistency in application of the law. It will more strongly point out the need to require mitigation of the effects of subdivision development on Idaho school districts. It will also authorize planning entities to consider the burdens more consistently on current residents in a more consistent, even-handed, and judicious way while still balancing private property rights and interests.
Sponsors: Kuna
ISBA recommendation: Do Pass
Yes votes: 7,041
No votes: 176
No. 11 – GED Success Tracking, PASSED
In the past, if a student did not complete the common course of study, and instead chose to complete the GED program, it was considered to be less than a common high school diploma. However, that is not the case anymore. Often, there are students who complete a General Education Degree for a variety of reasons. Therefore, Idaho should remove the stigma of a General Education Degree by changing the current reporting of graduation rate to allow GED to count as a successful course of study for those students under the age of 21.
Sponsors: Kuna
ISBA recommendation: Do Pass
Yes votes: 6,094
No votes: 566
No. 12 – Transportation Contract Flexibility, PASSED
In all the time that we, Moscow Charter School, have needed bussing for our students we have contracted with the Moscow School District (“MSD”) for transportation services. They provide services to our students on the same bus routes that already serve the kids in our community that attend MSD schools. As a result of this, they have received our funding and have reported our students under their reports. We are billed monthly based on the agreed upon rate of our contract (created and signed each year) for the number of students who ride the bus. The established rate is based upon the need to cover additional costs associated with running the program for our students. This year we were told that we were not in compliance with State code and were no longer able to continue this mutual relationship with them for transportation services. We spent several hours writing our RFP and received one bid: MSD. We will spend additional time this upcoming school year with audits and end of year reporting that MSD used to do with us under their program.
Sponsors: Moscow, Moscow Charter, Madison
ISBA recommendation: Do Pass
Yes votes: 6,305
No votes: 606
No. 13 – One-Time Facility Funding and Eligibility for Permanent Building Funds, PASSED
School districts facing rapidly increasing enrollment or in need of repair or replacement due to aging school facilities, only have one option for the construction of new facilities: passage of a bond that places a burden on property owners. Meanwhile, the State of Idaho is holding a large surplus of funds that could help the state meet their constitutional requirement of maintaining an equitable educational program and reduce the burden of possible increases in property taxes to the citizens of Idaho.
Sponsors: Moscow, Kuna
ISBA recommendation: Do Pass
Yes votes: 6,868
No votes: 385
No. 14 – Enrollment Based Funding, PASSED
Enrollment based funding removes the uncertainty and instability districts face in the funding they will receive from the state when average daily attendance is used to set the funding level for each district, especially since the COVID 19 pandemic began and daily absences have significantly increased. This change also fits in with the legislature’s recent focus on providing non-traditional learning models to students, such as with extended learning opportunities and self-directed learners. It is also a more accurate way to provide the level of resources districts and public charter schools need to meet their obligation to be prepared to educate all students that are enrolled than the current method.
Sponsors: St. Maries, Kootenai, Kuna, Madison, Monticello Montessori
ISBA recommendation: Do Pass
Yes votes: 7,267
No votes: 1
