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Idaho Digital Learning Academy moves to its own division as enrollments and per‑course funding rise
Summary
Committee heard that IDLA is now funded per enrolled course, has seen double‑digit enrollment growth, and is proposing to lower its $75 per‑course fee; analysts and IDLA leaders said recent legislative changes tie funding to enrollments at $430 per enrollment with a possible statutory adjustment to $445 pending House action.
The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee heard a presentation on the Idaho Digital Learning Academy (IDLA), which the Legislature has established as its own division and now funds on a per‑enrolled‑course basis.
Jared Tetrault (Legislative Services Office) summarized the statutory change from last session (House Bill 452) that moved IDLA funding from the public schools appropriation to an enrollment‑driven formula funded at $430 per eligible enrollment. He said IDLA’s budget moves with course enrollments; the agency estimated 49,680 enrollments when the budget was set, with actual enrollments estimated closer to 52,000 in the current year and prior projections reaching as high as 53,000. Tetrault explained that each additional 1,000 enrollments would change IDLA’s withdrawal/appropriation by approximately $430,000.
Jeff Simmons, IDLA superintendent, told the committee the agency counted roughly 9% enrollment growth this year and identified drivers including driver’s‑education courses (which grew rapidly) and an elementary K‑5 literacy program that the agency provides using the same Istation platform many in‑person schools use. Simmons said IDLA reports final course percentages to the enrolling school and that IDLA’s strategic goal is a 90% pass rate (the program reached about 89% last year).
IDLA finances: Tetrault showed that IDLA began fiscal year 2024 with about $5 million cash and closed with about $8.5 million, largely reflecting growth in enrollments and fee revenue. IDLA may charge districts up to $75 per course under statute; Simmons said the IDLA board was considering reducing the fee to $40 for the next year and expects to present that change to the board — he told committee members that the proposal aims to remove a financial barrier for families while keeping IDLA financially stable.
Legislative mechanics: Tetrault noted that if the Legislature adopts a statutory change in House Bill 251 (Senate third reading calendar at the time of the hearing) to increase the per‑enrollment figure from $430 to $445, the committee would need to amend Idaho Code to reflect the new per‑course amount; the analyst’s slide showed an illustrative $3.5 million increase tied to an estimate of 58,000 enrollments.
Committee members asked about completion metrics, literacy programming and how IDLA aligns assessments with in‑person schools. Simmons said IDLA uses the same standards and benchmarks as local schools and reported that the elementary literacy program has helped limit summer learning loss in participating students.
No formal action was taken. The committee requested updated enrollment and financial projections and noted the pending statutory adjustments that could change IDLA’s appropriation math.
