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House Education chair urges continued funding for rural schools, CTE and teacher pay
Summary
Representative Doug Pickett told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that Idaho has substantially increased K‑12 funding over the past decade and urged continued support for rural schools, career and technical education and teacher compensation.
Representative Doug Pickett, House Education chairman, told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on March 7 that Idaho must sustain recent investments in public education while addressing rural school needs and career‑technical training.
Pickett said Idaho’s K‑12 public education budget has doubled over the past decade, from about $1.4 billion to about $2.8 billion, while student counts rose by “less than 9%.” He also said average K‑12 teacher pay has risen “to nearly $63,000 this school year,” a figure he described as a 42% increase over the past decade. “I thank you,” Pickett told JFAC, acknowledging the committee’s role in recent pay increases and in an additional $83…
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