State Board of Education budget request centers on new workforce grant, staffing and IT transfers

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee heard a presentation on the Office of the State Board of Education budget that highlighted a proposed $15 million, one-time public–private workforce capacity grant and continued expansion of centralized staff and IT services.

Kevin Campbell, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the committee that Idaho Code §33-101 creates the State Board and that the board has delegated managerial, financial and coordinating functions to the Office of the State Board (OSB). He said OSB’s largest program is administration and that the office currently has 84.25 authorized full-time positions with eight vacancies and a five-year authorized average of 55.95 FTEs, a figure Campbell said is “skewed a bit low” because of recent staff transfers into OSB.

The request that drew the most attention was Governor Little’s proposed one-time $15 million public–private workforce capacity grant. The grant would fund institutional infrastructure related to workforce training and in-demand careers and would require private matching. According to Joshua (Josh) Whitworth, OSB executive director, awards would match private funds 1:1 for Boise State University, Idaho State University and the University of Idaho, and at a 1:2 ratio for Lewis-Clark State College and the four community colleges. Whitworth said the grant…