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Committee advances bill to free up dormant school facilities fund, add $25.5 million to aid rural districts
Summary
The Senate Education Committee voted to send House Bill 338 to the floor with a due-pass recommendation after testimony that the bill would unlock an unused Public School Facilities Cooperative Fund, add a new appropriation, and change application and repayment rules to help rural districts finance repairs and replacements.
The Idaho Senate Education Committee voted to send House Bill 338 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation after extended testimony from lawmakers and rural school representatives.
Representative Doug Pickett, identified in committee remarks as the House Education Committee chair, described the bill as a way to make dormant Public School Facilities Cooperative Fund dollars available to rural districts that lack bonding capacity. Pickett traced the program’s origin to a 2006 law and said the bill would make $50.5 million available by combining $25 million from previously appropriated funds with an additional $25 million from the bond-levy equalization fund.
Representative Sonia Galaviz (District 16) presented facility-assessment data compiled after a May 2024 requirement that…
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