[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6326968,"mediaKeyId","2323560-bc2ab7840df3cd044700e5a1f3d3a839","parentId",2323560,"title","Senate committee advances proposal to move K–12 discretionary funding to weighted per‑student formula","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",2055000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2323560-bc2ab7840df3cd044700e5a1f3d3a839&start=2055&end=2055","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2323560-bc2ab7840df3cd044700e5a1f3d3a839/thumbnail_2055000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6326968/Idaho/Senate-committee-advances-proposal-to-move-K12-discretionary-funding-to-weighted-perstudent-formula","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6326968-5653abf21ce94ee0759b795f8c960ec7/orig.mp4?Expires=1777164112&Signature=N1A5MlNMOXXmBSy5BIgOp2K8rXNw7f~ylQR5~C3zi~tlkIFFkBUuOIqVVUoCKTi6-j1W~kJoiOLjUbyo5-HiXqJSL6dFkzEmEde~GVZXf6Iia7FyP~DmPiiCouz~t9VoFR3bgKDFg17sAi2ALbxK1B~fpdx94c5vSJWGfNXOHv0wA5iKSA6QW39pqDoUiVlh-Cn-Sf-Xil80LYIiTL~Dj-1sPOHpOwp6W8m-JnTuUW0pGhGrBVQKOWmftGUBv9Q245jvagpJ-nWxeA~zf2v-sMisqCPj5pzFxkdfnyMvYJZ-UjEHBMHarD1eeHluRClqAMMG~5GhDXttw3QTIM5lpg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Senate of Idaho","date","2025-02-13T00:00:00Z","article","The Senate Education Committee voted to send Senate Bill 1096 to the Senate floor with a do-pass recommendation after sponsor Senator Woodward and State Department of Education officials outlined a plan to shift parts of the K–12 funding system toward a weighted per‑student model for discretionary dollars.

Senator Woodward said the proposal focuses on the discretionary portion of the public school support budget (a share of total state K–12 funding) and would distribute that money based on student attributes. The bill would assign weights for economically disadvantaged students, English‑language learners, special education students, small‑school adjustments, gifted and talented students and at‑risk students in alternative settings. A student may carry more than one weighted characteristic and weights would stack, the sponsor said.

Woodward told the committee the bill is deliberately incremental: it targets the discretionary portion of the budget rather than attempting to rewrite the entire funding formula for the full $3.3 billion public-school support appropriation. He said last year the discretionary portion was about $379,000,000 and that the proposal aims to move specified statutory line items into the discretionary pool so they can be distributed using the weights. The sponsor also described a two‑year hold‑harmless for fiscal years 2026–27 so districts would not immediately lose funding if the new distribution reduced their allocations.

Superintendent Debbie Critchfield described the change as a shift from funding systems to funding students. She said the department has worked with stakeholders on the draft for almost two years and argued the system would give districts greater flexibility to align dollars with local student needs. Gideon Toleman, the department’s financial officer, clarified that some line items (for example, Safe and Drug Free Schools funding) are dedicated sources currently but could be moved into discretionary distribution under the proposed transition; Toleman said those funds do not come from a “millennial fund” but are dedicated and distributed to districts today.

The hearing produced both broad support and caution. Supporters — including the Idaho School Boards Association, Idaho Association of School Administrators, Idaho Charter School Network and several superintendents — urged the committee to approve the policy shift. Testimony from the Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and Blind and parents emphasized the high cost of special‑education supports (assistive technology, interpreters, specialized therapists) and said a weighted model could help level resource differences between small and large districts. Several small rural superintendents warned the committee that some low‑enrollment districts could face substantial percentage declines in discretionary funding after the two‑year hold‑harmless period; one speaker from the Cambridge School District said his district faces an estimated 20 percent drop in discretionary funds under the draft allocation.

Senator Woodward and department witnesses repeatedly noted this is a policy bill that does not itself appropriate dollars; the total amount to be distributed under any new formula would be set through the budget process in the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee. Questions at the hearing probed which statutory line items would be moved, how the fiscal note should be read (the sponsor said the committee’s policy action is separate from the department’s budget request), and whether the changes could be phased to avoid cliffs for rural districts.

After more than an hour of testimony from district leaders, parents and advocacy organizations, the committee voted to send Senate Bill 1096 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation by voice vote; the motion carried, and no roll-call tally appears in the transcript.

Votes at a glance: Motion to send Senate Bill 1096 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation; carried by voice vote in committee.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Education Meeting February 13, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 1096 would redesign portions of K–12 school funding by creating a weighted per‑student distribution for discretionary funds, adding weights for student characteristics such as special education, English‑language learners and economic disadvantage, with a two‑year hold harmless provision for districts and charters.","taxTitle","Education, SENATE, Committees, Legislative, Idaho","taxId",28585,"location","Idaho","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6326973,"Committee backs bill to expand science-of-reading training, funds coaching model",1470,621000,2091000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2323560-bc2ab7840df3cd044700e5a1f3d3a839&start=621&end=2091","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2323560-bc2ab7840df3cd044700e5a1f3d3a839/thumbnail_621000.jpg","/articles/6326973/Idaho/Committee-backs-bill-to-expand-science-of-reading-training-funds-coaching-model","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6326973-93cebb19a139321e7bd51d21a2e1cc92/orig.mp4?Expires=1777164112&Signature=aOVSthD38BSM~YEkjDbSge5vwWa2NxUYbR1hGRiIhXPZ-01a53y7BVQ0-m0yG-R6kt4fqAB4Q1PGpKT7yCBtsI0aWUtPhlcWbFwyXZ6oRNexdbVhPVZZXhQG8K8dm28xaM0zWg5DZMS8PVSrwhADfOmMLw~wO6ScREDxU9rO7PhRGsd5CPrBGmPZ7vf~x9v74CQvdhvILuDy6P6zXcqalYT~oWzJcX0ncJRAHQHWfKIKdlmXxjW-RwGK40scn8zk7hVlhdt1~RTVFgE-hkqol4DozZmb9PpXzEr1QsG-p1qLQNs9cUiIZUsScH-E1FG99DL-ep-47bendXkRpdmmJQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Education Committee voted to send Senate Bill 1069 to the Senate floor with a do-pass recommendation after sponsor Senator Van Burton Shaw and state education officials described the measure as a statewide expansion of evidence-based literacy training.

Senator Van Burton Shaw told the committee the bill would amend Idaho Code (as read in committee) to require the Idaho State Department of Education to provide professional development in the science of reading and evidence-based practices to all teachers and elementary administrators serving students in kindergarten through third grade. He said the legislation would ensure existing literacy dollars are spent in alignment with the science of reading and would fund an ongoing $5,000,000 appropriation to support a three-year training cycle and sustained coaching.

State and local witnesses described the program in operational terms. Megan Wunderlich, director of academics, content and curriculum at the Idaho State Department of Education, told senators the training is not intended to change renewal requirements; teachers may earn a credit for renewal through participation but the bill does not add to the renewal credit requirement. Debbie Critchfield, Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction, told the committee teachers who receive the state coaching training see improved reading outcomes, adding, \"teachers who have received the smart coaching training and their administrators, their reading scores go up, period.\"

Laura Milton Hayden, a third-grade teacher serving as a year-one participant in the SMART coaching program, testified by video that the state coaching model is ongoing: monthly book-study cycles, one-to-one coaching, classroom visits, and data-driven adjustments. Hayden said the program differs from single-session professional development because coaches follow up in the classroom, review current student data and help teachers adjust instruction mid-year.

The bill sets priorities for training rollout: districts and public charter schools scoring in the bottom 25 percent on the fall Idaho reading indicator assessment would receive priority for early training. Sponsors said training is intended to be ongoing so new teachers and administrators would be able to access the training as they enter classrooms.

Committee members asked whether the program yields professional development credit and whether the training is a one-time event; Department officials said the program is ongoing, includes follow-up coaching, and can provide credits under existing renewal rules but does not change the state’s renewal credit requirement.

The committee approved a motion to send Senate Bill 1069 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation; the motion was carried by voice vote. The transcript records the motion and that it \"carries,\" but no roll-call tally appears in committee minutes.

Votes at a glance: Motion to send Senate Bill 1069 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation; carried by voice vote in committee.","Senate Bill 1069 would require the Idaho State Department of Education to provide professional development in the science of reading for kindergarten through third-grade teachers and elementary administrators, and would fund an ongoing $5 million appropriation to support coaching and training.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_46":93,"_48":94,"_50":95,"_52":96,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":97,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":98,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6326978,"Senate Education panel advances bill to raise community college tuition cap",365,268000,633000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2323560-bc2ab7840df3cd044700e5a1f3d3a839&start=268&end=633","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2323560-bc2ab7840df3cd044700e5a1f3d3a839/thumbnail_268000.jpg","/articles/6326978/Idaho/Senate-Education-panel-advances-bill-to-raise-community-college-tuition-cap","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6326978-3566470abea37414c78e92cbb872c2aa/orig.mp4?Expires=1777164112&Signature=Jha8Ke1ij8Bcq4-f1cEl4To-7zLwB2Hg4B8DqdBlPop54UELdkPAVs~pDBH6-BlWJKBPp4pbDvVeJ25xRxWWM7bkqDrRbd0QZ0Oo~zfnUZRGXNMPN2k8giwWNgohYcK7T7xewQVj4xkoWv9KTiUt7QZRr6SnPoVoW2rnRSYozsfwNDvHVA4nxfSCPfjht3CcEU0sBUz103VfMCpL49bcPjGTn273QmQ0LCDGuK3EmYb-bJs~va5x7Tq4Zognuvi6epNNKZuUMFdpffF11Sj~a4xkW1cri2fAwc36z5c~TDhBqcmwh60G6rx6qvx~iRJVUvD3PoafyQD-BN-5VYDxdg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Education Committee voted to send House Bill 79 to the Senate floor with a do-pass recommendation after Representative James Petske described the measure as a narrow change to a long-stagnant tuition cap for community colleges.

Representative James Petske, who represents District 21 in Meridian, told the committee the bill “is essentially changing one number,” and that the cap in state code has not been updated since 2008. He said all community colleges hit the cap around 2016 and that inability to raise tuition has constrained colleges’ ability to cover rising costs, including instructor pay.

The bill keeps a statutory per-year limit on how much colleges can increase tuition and sets a higher overall cap in code. Petske said the existing language permits annual increases of up to 10 percent and the new cap in the bill would be “$32.5” (as stated in committee). Based on discussions with community college officials, Petske said most schools plan smaller first-year increases — about 5 percent — and that at 5 percent annually it would take roughly 10 years to reach the cap; at the full 10 percent annual increase it would take a little over three years.

Petske told senators that community colleges rely chiefly on three revenue sources — locally voted property taxes, state general funds, and tuition — and that keeping the cap unchanged would shift more burden onto property taxpayers and state funding.

After brief questions from committee members about how the community college funding mix differs from four-year universities, the committee voted on a motion to send the bill to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation. The motion was moved and seconded; committee members signaled assent by voice vote and the motion carried.

The committee recorded no roll-call tally in the transcript; the motion was approved by voice vote.

What happens next: House Bill 79 will be placed on the Senate calendar for further floor consideration and any amendments or debate there.

Votes at a glance: The committee approved a motion to send House Bill 79 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation by voice vote. The transcript records the motion and that it \"carries,\" but does not record a roll-call tally.","The Senate Education Committee voted to send House Bill 79 to the Senate floor with a \"do pass\" recommendation after Rep. James Petske said the bill updates a decades-old tuition cap for community colleges and restores limited annual increases.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate committee advances proposal to move K–12 discretionary funding to weighted per‑student formula

Committee backs bill to expand science-of-reading training, funds coaching model

Senate Education panel advances bill to raise community college tuition cap