Appropriations panel advances Department of Public Instruction budget, restores $1M for teacher mentoring

Bismarck — The Appropriations — Education and Environment Division on Tuesday approved House Bill 1013, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) K‑12 budget, moving the measure out of the subcommittee with amendments that adjust the school funding formula, expand student meal eligibility and add $1 million to the North Dakota RISE teacher‑mentoring program.

Representative Ben Richter, the subcommittee sponsor, walked members through the bill and its funding sources, saying the DPI budget includes general fund dollars and multiple "other funds" such as the Strategic Investment Fund (SIF), carryover, the Common Schools Trust Fund and federal dollars. "First thing I want to point out is, as as we look at this budget, as far as the revenue sources and the money that comes into it, we have general fund dollars and then we have other funds," Richter said during the discussion.

Why it matters: The committee's changes alter how state K‑12 dollars flow to districts and add one‑time and ongoing funding for several programs. The committee approved a package of adjustments tied to House Bill 1369 (the integrated funding formula) and related bills that together increase K‑12 funding in this biennium by roughly $100 million to $116 million depending on which items are counted together, according…