Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Idaho House education chair urges continued investment in rural schools, CTE and teacher pay
Summary
House Education Chairman Doug Pickett told JFAC that K‑12 funding has doubled in the past decade, that rural schools need extra per‑student support and that career and technical education capacity must expand at the postsecondary level.
House Education Chairman Doug Pickett (R‑District 27) told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on March 7 that Idaho has made “important investments” in public education over the past decade and urged continued attention to rural schools, career and technical education (CTE) and teacher pay.
Pickett framed his remarks with a financial history: “Over the past 10 years, the public education K‑12 budget has doubled from $1.4 billion to $2.8 billion,” he told the committee, and he said the increase has not been matched by student growth (he said student numbers grew by less than 9 percent). He credited the Legislature with increases in teacher pay: “Idaho’s average K‑12 teacher pay has increased to nearly $63,000 this school year, representing a 42 percent increase over the past decade.”
Why it matters: Pickett’s comments preview budget priorities…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
