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State Department of Education gets approved positions, grants and new reporting language in JFAC motion
Summary
JFAC approved a package of Department of Education requests including two special-education positions, grants for child nutrition and underperforming charters, funding for reading indicator and data dashboards, and new data-sharing and charter-reporting language.
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee approved a consolidated motion adding personnel and funding for the State Department of Education for fiscal 2026 and accepted new reporting and data-sharing language.
The committee motion included funding for a dispute resolution specialist and a special education charter-school specialist (each one full-time position), one-time grants for child nutrition technology ($401,000 noted in the motion as one-time federal/dedicated funding), $300,000 one-time for underperforming charter schools, and funding for Idaho reading indicator contract adjustments. The chair moved the package and a second was recorded; on the roll call the committee recorded 15 ayes, 4 nays and 1 absent/excused overall and sent the package forward with a do-pass recommendation.
Analysts explained the Idaho reading indicator contract was reduced from an initial $767,000 request down to $265,800 included in the motion following a new RFP. Committee language accepted by unanimous consent requires the Department of Education and the Office of the State Board of Education to provide a monthly data file to the Budget and Policy Analysis division of the Legislative Services Office; the data file shall omit any student-identifying fields protected by privacy law and must be delivered by the 10th day of each month. Another accepted provision directs the Department to report to legislative staff by January 5 on the status of charter schools that received underperforming-school funding.
Why this matters: The motion funds targeted positions and programs intended to support special education communication with districts, child nutrition modernization, and reporting requirements intended to allow legislative analysts to review program performance and charter-school outcomes.
