On December 12, the federal government notified the United Way of Treasure Valley that it was canceling the Idaho Rural Scaling Full Service Community Schools Project effective December 31, three years ahead of schedule. With one notice, rural school districts across Idaho were suddenly facing the loss of funding for programs families rely on every day. There was no long runway. No gradual wind down. Just a deadline and a lot of unanswered questions.

For schools, that kind of message sends an immediate shock through the system. Superintendents and school boards began asking the same questions we always ask in moments like this. What happens to students who depend on after school programs? What about mental health supports? What about staff already hired and services already promised? Even when funding is later restored, that moment of uncertainty leaves real damage behind.

In the final hours of 2025, that decision was reversed. Idaho’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, Debbie Critchfield, stepped up, championed rural schools, and fought to keep these programs alive. Idaho families are better off because of her work. But the scare itself proved a point many local boards have been making for years. When funding is distant, layered, and unpredictable, even strong, proven programs are always one decision away from disruption.

Late last year at the annual convention, the membership of the Idaho School Boards Association showed strong support for Resolution 3, which calls for streamlining federal funding, especially during times of uncertainty or major change at the U.S. Department of Education. That vote mattered. It made clear that school boards across Idaho share the same concern about how federal dollars reach classrooms and that they want a more direct, dependable process. The overwhelming support for Resolution 3 sent a statewide message that Idaho schools need stability and clarity when it comes to funds meant for students.

We talk a lot about local control, but too often the systems we work under do not reflect that idea. When it comes to federal education dollars, the people closest to students should be trusted to manage the programs those dollars support. That is the core of the position the Idaho School Boards Association is taking, and it comes from real experience in real school districts.

Across the state, districts and charter schools are running programs that reach far beyond basic classroom instruction. Families rely on after school care, academic support, meals, mental health services, and help staying connected to the school community. These needs are especially real in rural places like Marsing, where options outside the school are limited. Programs such as 21st Century Community Learning Centers and Community Schools have supported this work for years. They are proven. They work because local districts already have the people, partnerships, and community trust to make them successful.

Even with strong programs in place, districts are often left waiting on the funding behind them. In Marsing, we have had months where we were sweating out the timing of federal reimbursements and grant payments, hoping the money shows up before bills come due. Payroll does not wait. Power bills do not wait. Vendors do not wait. Most importantly, families depending on after school programs do not wait. When federal dollars get stuck in extra layers of bureaucracy or routed through outside organizations, rural districts are forced into impossible positions, trying to keep promises without any certainty about when approved funds will actually arrive.

The December funding scare made that reality impossible to ignore – even a short disruption can ripple outward, forcing districts to delay hiring, scale back services, or drain limited reserves just to stay afloat.

It does not have to work this way.

The ISBA position is simple and practical. If money is meant for school based programs, it should go directly to the districts that run those programs. Do not force schools to work around bureaucrats and red tape. Do not add new layers of approval or paperwork. And if federal funds ever begin flowing straight to the state instead of through the Department of Education, Resolution 3 urges Idaho not to stack additional steps on top of existing federal requirements.

Local school boards are accountable to the families in their communities. We hear it when after school programs are full or when support staff are stretched too thin. We are also responsible for keeping the lights on while waiting for funds that are already intended for students to be released.

This position is not about politics. It is about common sense and trust. Districts that have shown they can run programs well should not be slowed down by outside middlemen.

What we are asking for is straightforward. Trust local boards to manage the resources intended for their students. Remove the delays. Remove the unnecessary barriers. Let the funding reach the people serving Idaho’s kids every single day.