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JFAC hears statewide public school support budget as enrollment-based units fall
Summary
Legislative analysts and the state superintendent told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that changes in how student counts are measured, the end of federal COVID funding and statutory formula mechanics are driving a drop in support units even as total appropriations remain large.
Jared Tetrault, deputy division manager with the Legislative Services Office Budget and Policy Analysis Division, told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on March 4 that Idaho’s public school support program is seeing fewer "support units" even as overall dollar appropriations remain high.
Tetrault said the state funds public schools through statutory formulas in Idaho Code Title 33 and noted the program covers 115 local school districts and roughly 75 charter schools. He said the state funds 1.55 full‑time equivalent positions per support unit and that the average amount per support unit is about $147,000.
The change from enrollment-based to attendance-based counting, required under Idaho law, is one driver of fewer funded support units, Tetrault said. He explained that during the COVID period the hybrid counting method temporarily raised counts…
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