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Idaho House education chair urges continued investment in rural schools, CTE and literacy
Summary
Representative Doug Pickett told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that Idaho has increased K–12 spending and teacher pay over the last decade but still faces large facility and special-needs funding gaps; he urged continued support for rural schools, career and technical education and early literacy.
Representative Doug Pickett, chairman of the Idaho House Education Committee, told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on March 7 that Idaho has made substantial gains in public education funding over the past decade but still faces major gaps that require continued legislative attention.
Pickett, a Republican representing District 27, said the state’s K–12 budget has doubled over the past ten years—from about $1.4 billion to about $2.8 billion—while student counts rose by “less than 9%.” He said Idaho’s average K–12 teacher pay has increased to “nearly $63,000 this school year,” which he described as a roughly 42% increase over the last decade.
Why it matters: Pickett framed the numbers as evidence that sustained fiscal policy can allow…
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