State board outlines expanded central staff, workforce grant and IT needs in budget presentation

Kevin Campbell, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the Joint Finance Committee that he was presenting the budget for the Office of the State Board of Education (OSB), which the analyst said was created under Idaho Code §33‑101 and carries management, finance and coordination responsibilities for both K‑12 and higher education.

Campbell said OSB now has three main divisions — administration, IT and data management, and school safety and security — and that the administration division is the largest. “OSB currently has 84.25 authorized FTEs with 8 vacancies,” Campbell said, adding the agency’s five‑year average authorized FTE is lower because of recent staff transfers into OSB.

Why it matters: Committee members pressed OSB officials on whether the recent growth in central staff improves efficiency or simply centralizes resources that otherwise would go directly to campus or district programs. That line of questioning framed follow‑up requests for data on contractor costs, IT backlogs and performance outcomes.

Executive director Joshua (Josh) Whitworth and Board president Dr. Clark joined the presentation. Whitworth told the committee the board’s move to centralize functions such as audit, risk management, IT and the school safety program reflects a policy goal the board members described as “systemness” — seeking coordinated, consistent approaches across institutions. “Bringing that centrally allows us to focus and make sure that we’re doing standard policies across all of those,” Whitworth said.

Major items and questions

- Public–private workforce capacity grant: Campbell highlighted Governor Little’s one‑time $15 million request to create a public–private workforce capacity grant intended to expand institutional capacity for workforce training. The proposal would require institutions to secure private matching funds. Under the request, Boise State University, Idaho State University and the University of Idaho would receive funding matched 1:1; Lewis‑Clark State College and the four community colleges would receive funding at a 1:2 ratio. Whitworth said the grant targets programs identified by industry technical advisory committees and the Workforce Development Council, and cited areas such as welding, fabrication, forestry and mining as likely candidates for funding.

- IT and data management: The committee heard that OSB has absorbed IT staff previously at other agencies and now supports statewide K‑12 and higher education systems used by roughly 300,000 students. Whitworth and committee members asked for a written long‑range IT plan and for comparatives showing contractor costs versus proposed FTE hires. Senator Cook asked for details on current contractor expenditures and the backlog of maintenance requests; Whitworth said contractors currently perform much of the work but that some core systems (a student access application and infrastructure) are more cost‑efficient to staff in‑house.

- School safety and the school safety assessment fund: Campbell said the school safety and security assessment program moved to OSB in FY2022 and is funded by a statutory annual transfer of $300,000 from the public school income fund. The fund pays for annual assessments against guidelines adopted by the Idaho Safety and Security Advisory Board.

- Empowering Parents Grant and other transfers: Campbell noted a $30 million ongoing Empowering Parents grant created by the legislature in FY2024, and several transfers of personnel (IT, risk managers, internal audit) from other entities into OSB. Whitworth said most of those transfers were net‑zero in terms of positions and that centralizing audit and risk functions allows consistent oversight across institutions.

- Independent Study Idaho: Committee members sought detail about Independent Study Idaho — a flexible, mostly fee‑funded program Campbell and Whitworth described as serving a small number of nontraditional learners (for example, single parents pursuing certificates on a flexible schedule). Whitworth said fees cover the bulk of costs (about $160 per credit) but that growth in program costs has strained the fee model and that “without kind of a base increase, we’re expecting cost to basically… the outputs to fund the cost and those outputs aren’t positive outputs for the actual students.” He invited committee follow‑up to determine whether state general funds should supplement the program.

- Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs: Representative Tanner and others asked whether state funds support DEI centers or programs. Whitworth and other board representatives said most services described as DEI‑related are funded through student fees and that the board had implemented changes following public comment; Senator Groh and Senator Wintrow reiterated the committee’s understanding that no appropriated general funds currently support those student groups and that fees are opt‑in under prior law.

Committee follow up and data requests

Members repeatedly asked OSB to provide: a long‑range IT plan (including contractor expenditures and the maintenance backlog), a refined list of program types that would be eligible for the proposed workforce capacity grant and the outcomes expected, and additional detail on Independent Study Idaho utilization and finances. Several members also requested documentation showing that transfers of staff into OSB were net zero in agency budgets.

Whitworth and staff said they would provide the requested materials for the committee’s work groups and follow up with more detailed reporting.

Ending: The committee did not take votes on OSB items during the hearing. Members said they expect to review the material in plans and work groups before any budget decisions are made.