State board official outlines scholarship program growth, asks for IT support to maintain public portals

Kevin Campbell, budget and policy analyst for the Legislative Services Office, presented the Scholarships and Grants program budget housed in the Office of the State Board of Education. Campbell said 99.5% of the program's spending is trustee and benefit payments and that timing of award cycles affects fiscal year spending.

Josh Whitworth, executive director of the State Board of Education, told the committee the program maintains several public databases and user interfaces for students and parents and noted a backlog of maintenance and security work. The board's request includes $124,000 for a software engineer to address those needs and a separate request (small correction to a 2025 CEC entry) for $1,200.

Campbell reviewed recent program additions that increased base appropriations: $7 million for the Opportunity Scholarship in fiscal 2021 and the Bridging and Underserved Educator Incentive (rural incentive) program beginning in FY2023, with continued appropriations into FY2024 and FY2025. Whitworth said he will return with performance and outcomes data to measure whether the rural and underserved educator incentives meet recruitment and retention goals in the targeted districts; committee chairs asked for district‑by‑district breakdowns and clarification on the program’s definitions of "rural" and "underserved."

Whitworth said he would report back on performance metrics and provide data requested by representatives on recipients, retention and program outcomes. Committee members asked the agency to compare program results (such as Launch and the Opportunity Scholarship) and return with clearer outcome indicators.