State Board of Education asks for new staff, IT funding and $15 million public‑private workforce grant

The Office of the State Board of Education asked the Joint Finance Committee work group on education to approve staffing and program requests in its fiscal 2026 budget, including a governor‑proposed one‑time $15 million public‑private workforce capacity grant and several ongoing enhancements tied to IT, school safety and auditing functions.

The office’s budget analyst, Kevin Campbell of the Legislative Services Office, told committee members the board’s authority is established in Idaho Code section 33‑101 and that recent years have seen transfers of functions such as IT, audit and school safety into the board’s office.

Campbell said the office currently has 84.25 authorized full‑time equivalent positions (with eight vacancies) and a five‑year average of 55.95 FTPs, noting the five‑year figure is “skewed a bit low” because of recent transfers into the office. He also highlighted a $30 million ongoing Empowering Parents grant enacted in FY2024.

Josh Whitworth, executive director of the State Board of Education, told legislators the board’s goal in centralizing functions is to eliminate…