State Board budget grows as lawmakers press for details on IT, workforce grants and independent study funding

The Idaho Joint Finance Committee heard a presentation on the Office of the State Board of Education’s (OSB) FY2026 budget request and probed several large new items, including a proposed $15 million one‑time public–private workforce capacity grant, continued growth in centrally managed IT and audit functions, and base funding questions for Independent Study Idaho.

Kevin Campbell, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the committee that “Idaho Code section 33‑101 creates the Board for the general supervision, governance, and control of all state educational institutions,” and that the Board has centralized several functions in recent years, including IT, auditing and a school safety program moved into OSB in FY2022.

The nut of the discussion was growth in authorized full‑time positions and several large enhancements. Campbell said OSB currently has 84.25 authorized full‑time positions with eight vacancies and a five‑year average authorized count of 55.95, noting recent transfers from other agencies skew that five‑year average downward. He outlined prior-large items that have become part of OSB’s budget, including a $30 million ongoing Empowering Parents grant enacted in FY2024 and a $5 million broadband program transferred in FY2025.

OSB Executive Director Joshua Whitworth described the board’s rationale for centralizing services such as internal audit, risk management and IT, saying the approach is intended to reduce duplication across institutions and to “look at systemness” so resources can be used more efficiently. Whitworth told lawmakers the centralized IT team supports roughly 300,000 students and that bringing in positions such as a database engineer or infrastructure engineer can be more cost‑effective than prolonged contractor support.

Lawmakers repeatedly asked for follow‑up details. Representative Petzke asked why the centralized agency is still growing and whether OSB spending yields more value than sending funds directly to institutions; Whitworth replied that the transferred functions (internal audit, risk management, IT, school safety) allow system‑level policy and operational consistency. Senator Cook requested contractor cost data and backlog details for the IT portfolio and urged performance targets to measure return on investment.

Committee members pressed on several specific items:

- Public–private workforce capacity grant: The governor’s FY2026 request seeks a $15 million one‑time grant to expand institutional capacity for workforce training. Whitworth described the program design: state funds would be awarded only to institutions that raise private dollars to match the state investment; matching ratios are proposed at 1:1 for Boise State University, Idaho State University and University of Idaho, and 1:2 for Lewis‑Clark State College and the four community colleges. Whitworth said awards would target programs identified by technical advisory and business committees, workforce development councils and in‑demand career lists (examples cited included welding, fabrication, mechatronics, forestry, mining and nuclear‑adjacent training). He told the panel he would provide the committee a refined list of eligible programs and expected outcomes before budget decisions.

- Independent Study Idaho: Whitworth and Campbell said the program provides flexible, self‑paced courses for nontraditional students, commonly funded primarily by student fees (about $160 per credit). Campbell and Whitworth said parts of the self‑funding model have not kept pace with costs, producing financial shortfalls that prompted a requested change in base funding; Whitworth asked the committee to consider whether the state should increase support for that delivery model and offered follow‑up data on the program’s usage and finances.

- School safety and security: Campbell explained that the School Safety and Security Assessment Fund was moved into OSB in FY2022 and — “per code” — receives an annual transfer of $300,000 from the public school income fund to support annual assessments of district consistency with safety guidelines.

- DEI and student fees: Multiple members raised the board’s recent actions regarding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. Whitworth and other members of the board staff clarified that, according to materials provided to the committee, programs and centers focused on historically marginalized communities have not received general fund appropriations and are funded primarily through student fees and opt‑in mechanisms. Senators and representatives asked for a detailed accounting of any state appropriations tied to those programs; Whitworth said most services are fee funded but offered to provide any appropriation details committee staff require.

- Legislative requirements and bills: Representative Hart asked which FY2026 requests require underlying legislation; Whitworth said he would follow up. Whitworth later stated that the behavioral threat assessment team request is the only item that currently requires legislation and that it has a sponsor and is in committee.

Why it matters: The OSB budget centralizes functions that have direct operational effects on K‑12 and higher education across Idaho — from cybersecurity and data systems to school safety and workforce training. Committee members expressed interest in more detail on implementation plans, measurable outcomes and which parts of the request need statutory changes.

Looking ahead, lawmakers asked OSB for follow‑up materials: an IT strategic plan including current contractor expenditures and maintenance backlog details; a refined list of programs and expected outcomes for the workforce capacity grant; financial and participation data for Independent Study Idaho; and a list of which budget requests require legislation.

Ending: The committee did not take votes on OSB items during the hearing; members directed staff and OSB to provide the requested follow‑up information to inform work‑group and floor decisions later in the session.