Joint finance committee approves State Board of Education budget adjustments, removes $5 million workforce incentive

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee voted to approve several budget adjustments for the Office of the State Board of Education, including supplemental funding for a credit-mobility grant and a larger FY2026 package of positions and contracts. Kevin Campbell, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the committee the credit-mobility grant “is a $40,000 grant, which extends over, from January 2025 to January 2026.”

The committee approved a supplemental motion for fiscal year 2025 that added funding from miscellaneous revenue; that motion passed on a roll call with all recorded members voting aye. Later, the committee approved an FY2026 program-maintenance package that included 1 full-time position and multiple items such as a database engineer, cybersecurity testing, replacement vehicles and $20,000 for the credit-mobility grant. Representative Petzke, who moved the FY2026 package, listed the additions and said the total requested for the FY2026 motion was $229,200 from the general fund and $131,500 from dedicated funds for a combined $360,700.

Committee members discussed a larger $5 million workforce incentive that had been included in an earlier version of the budget. Representative Petzke and several senators noted that the $5 million in-demand grant that would have targeted waitlisted workforce training slots was removed from the package. Petzke said the removal reflected an effort to preserve other funding after the larger item “failed on the floor.” Senator Ward Engelking and other members expressed disappointment, saying the cut would hurt students and workforce pipelines. Senator Wintrow and others noted the committee had funded other higher-education priorities elsewhere in the budget, including $10 million directed to technical-school wait lists and millions in the permanent building fund for campus upgrades.

On the FY2026 package vote, senators and representatives recorded both yes and no votes; the committee announced the motion carried with the required majority and will be reported with a due-pass recommendation. Committee staff later presented language tied to the motion; members confirmed that the only language change from an earlier March motion was removal of text related to the use of appropriated funds. That language was approved on a subsequent roll call vote.

The committee record shows the State Board items will move forward to the full legislature with the committee’s due-pass recommendation. Staff said remaining questions about implementation and the removed workforce incentive would be handled in future sessions and through other budget vehicles already approved in the package.