JFAC education items: votes at a glance — districts, IDLA, transportation pilot, school safety and special education

Boise — The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Thursday considered a broad package of education‑related budget items and approved most motions on the consent path, while some contested items and language were debated.

Key approvals and actions (motions, funding source, outcome):

- Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind — FY2026: committee approved an increase of $492,000 from the general fund and $12,900 from dedicated funds (total $504,900) to support career ladder equivalents, recruitment and retention pay, early childhood outreach and a region‑4 consulting teacher. Motion passed; committee recorded a strong affirmative vote and the measure will move forward with a do‑pass recommendation.

- Teachers Division (public school support) — FY2026: committee approved a population forecast adjustment of $1,630,500 from the general fund for the Teachers Division as part of the K‑12 formula adjustments. Motion passed and will move forward with do‑pass recommendation.

- Public School Support — Student Support Division (supplemental FY2025): committee approved a $9,500,000 one‑time supplemental from the federal grant fund to cover Title I and IDEA payments that were not successfully paid in FY2024 because districts hit appropriation caps. Motion passed; one recorded nay on the Senate side was noted in the roll call.

- Student Support Division (FY2026 budget and language): committee approved a package of adjustments that included $9,500,000 for federal programs, endowment adjustments for school endowments and population forecast reductions and reclassifications. Members discussed the complexity of the K‑12 funding formula and demographic shifts; motion passed with a do‑pass recommendation.

- Idaho Digital Learning Academy (IDLA) — FY2026: committee approved a population forecast increase of $3,577,600 from the general fund reflecting a projected jump in IDLA enrollments (from about 49,680 to 58,000). The committee also accepted language limiting certain withdrawals from the public education stabilization account and changed the tuition cap allowed by statute for IDLA. Motion passed and will move forward.

- Central Services — Student transportation routing pilot: the committee approved a $2,200,000 one‑time pilot for GPS‑based student transportation routing software to replace paper‑based mileage tracking. Motion passed.

- School Bus Camera Fund — FY2025 supplemental: committee approved a one‑time supplemental of approximately $33,600 from the school bus camera fund to address statutory program costs (cameras, bus arms, software) established in House Bill 610. Motion passed.

- State Department of Education (FY2026): committee approved a mixed package of requests including positions for dispute resolution and charter school special‑education support, funding for reading indicator contracts, a data dashboard/report card allowance and underperforming charter school support. The committee approved language requiring monthly data sharing to Legislative Services and direction for reports on underperforming charter schools. The motion passed on the committee floor but recorded several nays on the House side during the roll call.

- Facilities Division (school district facilities fund impacts): committee approved a net reduction to reflect lottery and enrollment changes and discussed the distinction between property tax relief and maintenance uses authorized under House Bills 292 and 521. Members noted that about 90% of the school facilities fund had been used for property tax relief and that remaining monies can be used for maintenance once debt obligations are paid. Motion passed.

- Department of Juvenile Corrections — Millennium Fund supplemental (FY2025): committee approved a one‑time supplemental of $1,291,001 from the Millennium Income Fund to support youth assessment centers and their path to sustainability. Motion passed.

- Office of the Ombudsman for Health and Social Services (created by S.B. 1380): committee voted to provide no additional appropriation for FY2026, effectively continuing the office at current available funding levels. The committee approved associated do‑pass language.

- Division of Vocational Rehabilitation — FY2025 supplemental and FY2026 maintenance: committee approved a $4,400,000 one‑time supplemental to cover federal matching requirements and ineligible client service payments (these are obligations for services already provided). Lawmakers discussed an ongoing federal forensic audit dating back to 2019. The committee also approved a $35,000 FY2026 ongoing appropriation to contract sign‑language interpreter services to maintain ADA compliance.

Why it matters: The package reflects routine formula adjustments tied to enrollment and personnel costs, targeted one‑time federal and dedicated fund supplements to cover obligations, a pilot to modernize student transportation routing and a contentious set of one‑time Millennium Fund proposals that will require additional work.

What members emphasized: Committee members repeatedly noted demographic shifts (declining student cohorts in some grades), the complexity of the K‑12 funding formula, the need to fund legally required or previously rendered services, and the desire to ensure funds intended for facilities can be used for maintenance when district debt obligations are cleared.

Votes and transparency: Most items passed with large affirmative majorities and were moved forward with do‑pass recommendations. A small number of items attracted recorded nays in one chamber’s delegation; the Millennium Fund package generated the most sustained disagreement.

Ending: Committee chairs said they expect some items (including the Millennium Fund work) may return to a JFAC work group for refinement; remaining budget settings continue at scheduled follow‑up meetings.