(BOISE) – I’m often asked why special education has become such a visible part of today’s conversations about public school funding. To some, it may seem like the issue appeared overnight—or was created to justify more spending. Neither is true.

The reality is that supporting students with diverse learning needs has always been at the heart of what schools do. What has changed is the classroom. As Idaho grows and our student population becomes more complex, so do the expectations placed on schools and the services they must provide. Meeting those expectations requires honesty about what it takes to educate every child well.

For the past three years, I have talked openly about a growing disconnect between how Idaho funds schools and how schools actually operate. Our funding formula was last updated in 1994. At the time, it worked. Over 30 years later, our hallways look very different. Student needs are more varied, specialized services are more common, and demand for high-quality special education has never been higher. A child’s needs do not change when budgets tighten, and neither does our responsibility to serve them.

While long-term reform is necessary, we also need practical steps to help schools right now. That’s why we’ve been focused on identifying ways to bridge the gap between federal and state funding for our highest-need students.

Earlier this year, I submitted a budget request that included $50 million in special education block-grant funding, modeled after the federal approach. Since that September submission, revenue projections have shifted. Simply put, the funds are no longer available, and new ongoing spending is not realistic this year.

So we took a different approach—one that is both conservative and creative. With the block-grant proposal on pause, we identified two existing funding sources that can be redirected to help schools without drawing from the state’s general fund: remaining dollars from the Driver Training Account and interest earnings from the Idaho Career Ready Students fund.

Together, these funds can provide a one-time bridge for students with the highest needs while we also build more efficient regional systems that allow districts to share specialized staff and resources that are difficult to fill on their own. I will be presenting these bridge proposals to the Legislature in the coming weeks.

Our message to schools and families is simple and clear: even in a tight fiscal environment, Idaho remains committed to students. We will keep pursuing both short-term solutions and long-term reform so every child has the support they need to succeed.