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Committee advances cleanup to restore staffing flexibility for Idaho school districts
Summary
Representative Sonia Galaviz’s RS 32-458, a cleanup to restore districts’ staff‑allowance flexibility by removing statutory restrictions added in 2016, was approved for printing after committee discussion. Sponsors said state Department of Education reporting remains intact.
Representative Sonia Galaviz (D‑District 16) presented RS 32-458 to the House Education Committee, describing the measure as a cleanup to remove a statutory provision that reduced districts’ flexibility to use staffing allocations.
Galaviz told the committee school districts were permitted a 9.5 percent staff‑allowance flexibility (full‑time equivalent positions) established during the 2007–08 recession, but a 2016 change began reducing that flexibility by 1 percent for districts exceeding statewide average class sizes compared with similar‑sized districts. "So it started to squeeze the flexibility and it was a 1 way street down," Galaviz said, and the change had the effect of penalizing smaller districts.
She said the bill would restore the prior flexibility and clean up statutory language while leaving existing Department of Education divisors and related calculations in place. "Divisors will not change," she said.
Representative Harris asked about striking a reporting requirement (page 2, lines 47–50 in the RS). Galaviz replied the department would still collect and report staff allowance and hiring numbers; the RS removes only the statutory language that enforced the step‑down reduction of flexibility. The bill sponsor described the provision as nicknamed "use it or lose it," and said districts negatively affected would welcome restored flexibility.
Representative Clow moved to introduce RS 32-458 and spoke in favor, noting charter schools had similar flexibility and that the change could reduce waste that the "use it or lose it" approach sometimes produced. Representative Garner, a former school board member, said he also supported the RS and said he had "always hated these use it or lose it funds because it inspired waste."
The committee approved the motion to introduce RS 32-458 by voice vote; the motion carried and the RS will be printed for further consideration.
Ending: The RS was advanced for printing; the sponsor said she would revise a statement of purpose before a full hearing and the committee will consider the printed bill later in the process.
