State Board office asks for $15M one-time workforce grant as legislators press on staff growth and centralization

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee heard a presentation on the Office of the State Board of Education's (OSB) FY2026 budget on Tuesday, including a one‑time $15 million public–private workforce capacity grant proposed by Gov. Brad Little. Kevin Campbell, Budget and Policy Analyst with the Legislative Services Office, reviewed OSB's programs and statutory basis, saying, “Idaho Code section 33 1 0 1 creates the Board for the General Supervision, Governance, and Control of all state educational institutions.”

The committee then questioned Joshua Whitworth, OSB executive director, about continued growth in the office's staffing and functions. Whitworth told legislators the board has been centralizing some functions to improve efficiency and “look at systemness,” explaining that internal audit, risk management, IT and the school safety program had moved or expanded under OSB. Representative Petzke said the growth raised policy questions: “Why are we still growing this centralized agency so much? And is... we spending our money better here or should it be better spent going out directly to the institutions?”

Why it matters: OSB has expanded staff and budget in recent years through transfers and new programs, which alters where state education resources are managed. Campbell told the committee OSB currently has 84.25 authorized FTEs with eight…