Lawmakers hear CTE request for $10 million to expand high‑demand programs amid wait lists

Kevin Campbell, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, and Joshua Whitworth, executive director for the State Board and in a current interim role for the career technical education division, told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Feb. 10 that Idaho’s Career Technical Education (CTE) system is facing rapidly rising student demand and capacity constraints.

Campbell outlined CTE’s budget history and fund structure and noted several funds with statutory purposes that support CTE activities, including the Displaced Homemaker Fund, the Hazardous Materials and Waste Enforcement Fund and the Motorcycle Safety Fund. He told the committee that the division’s appropriations have grown materially over recent years and that trustee and benefit payments and personnel are the largest expenditure categories.

Whitworth said CTE is seeking targeted ongoing and one‑time funding in fiscal 2026 to address oversubscription in technical programs. Among the specific requests he described were $664,000 ongoing from the general fund for additional instructors in programs at or over capacity, $125,400 for a business‑industry engagement manager, and…