House education chair urges sustained investment in rural schools, CTE

Representative Doug Pickett, chair of the Idaho House Education Committee, told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on March 7 that Idaho has made significant progress funding public education but must sustain investments—particularly for rural districts and career and technical education programs.

Pickett, who represents District 27, said the K–12 budget has doubled over the past decade ‘‘despite the number of students only increasing by less than 9%’’ and noted average teacher pay has risen to nearly $63,000 this school year. He thanked JFAC for approving an additional roughly $83 million for teacher salaries this year and for allowing school districts to enroll teachers in the state health plan, an option he said provides about a $4,000 benefit per teacher.

Pickett said Idaho must balance classical academic foundations with growing demand for trade-based pathways such as HVAC, plumbing and electrical work. ‘‘CTE programs, particularly in our community colleges, are significantly oversubscribed and are dealing with significant capacity limitations,’’ he said, adding that community colleges and secondary schools face competition from the private sector when recruiting qualified CTE instructors.

Why it matters: Pickett framed the funding debate as a choice about sustaining rural public schools and ensuring access to high-demand career pathways without sacrificing basic instruction. He warned that equal per-student funding does not produce equal opportunity, and that rural districts often require higher per-student funding for special education, transportation, facilities and teacher recruitment.

Pickett offered several statewide estimates and priorities discussed with the committee: an estimated $3 billion statewide facilities funding gap, an $83 million shortfall for special needs, $5 million to retool teachers on phonics-based early literacy instruction and $35 million for outcome-based funding. He also told members his committee wants the State Board of Education to receive and return proposals for an outcome-based funding model to JFAC by Dec. 31, 2025, with implementation targeted by fiscal 2028.

Pickett warned about the potential for structural changes at the U.S. Department of Education that could shift more support into block grants or direct payments and said Idaho lawmakers want federal funds to be used for their intended purposes rather than repurposed.

After his remarks, senators and representatives on JFAC expressed support for expanding CTE capacity at community colleges and thanked Pickett for his overview. The committee did not take formal action on Pickett’s remarks; they were delivered as part of the committee’s informational agenda.

Ending: Pickett concluded by asking members to preserve rural schools as part of Idaho’s identity while adapting funding approaches to account for both classical academics and workforce needs. He then stood for questions from committee members.