State Board of Education asks Appropriations Committee for larger budget, legal counsel retainer

The State Board of Education asked the House Appropriations Committee on Feb. 25 for increased funding to support legal counsel, rulemaking and member stipends.

Jennifer Dax Samuelson, chair of the State Board of Education, and Tammy Colby, vice chair, told the committee the board's annual operating budget has been flat-funded at about $70,708 since FY21 and that the board can no longer rely on the Agency of Education for legal support. "We operate very much on a shoestring budget," Colby said, describing limits on the board's ability to retain counsel and to perform the multiyear work of updating long-neglected rules.

Why it matters: The board is the state's primary rulemaking body for public education and for approved independent schools. Board members said several rule series have not been updated for more than a decade, some still reference a commissioner position that no longer exists, and litigation and administrative responsibilities require ready access to counsel. Board leaders said those duties continue under current law while the legislature considers possible governance changes.

Board request and rationale The board presented its FY26 package in three buckets: (1) a mid‑year FY25 budget adjustment to cover a legal counsel retainer for the remainder of FY25; (2) an increase to the FY26 operating budget for ongoing counsel, technical consultants and reinstatement of national membership; and (3) a one-time, multiyear appropriation to comprehensively…