Idaho House education chair urges continued investment in rural schools, CTE and teacher pay

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 that affect rural school districts, community colleges, teacher recruitment and special-education services statewide. He told JFAC that policy choices should protect small, rural districts that provide transportation, special-education services and facilities that typically cost more per pupil than urban districts.

Key points from Pickett’s remarks

- Rural schools and per-pupil funding: Pickett said roughly 80 percent of Idaho school districts meet the state’s definition of rural and warned that “neglecting to adequately fund our rural public schools” would be the biggest threat to public education in Idaho. He urged higher per-student funding to cover special education, transportation, facilities and teacher recruitment and retention.

- Career and technical education: Pickett said demand for CTE is strongest at the postsecondary level: “CTE programs, particularly in our community colleges, are significantly oversubscribed and are dealing with significant capacity limitations.” He said community colleges face competition with the private sector for qualified CTE instructors and recommended expanding capacity without “sacrificing our basic classical education model.”

- Specific funding gaps and needs (figures cited by Pickett): an estimated nearly $3 billion statewide facilities funding gap; an $83 million special‑needs funding gap; $5 million to retool teachers in phonetics for early literacy; and $35 million for outcome‑based funding. He also thanked JFAC for an additional $83 million in teacher‑salary increases that year and for authorizing school districts to enroll teachers in the state health plan.

Quotes and attribution

Pickett: “We must be proactive and respond to in‑demand careers in educating our kids without them losing the opportunity to have a classical education.”

Pickett: “Small rural schools are an important part of the fabric of the culture of Idaho.”

Pickett also said his committee would like federal block grants or direct federal payments to continue to “pass through” to intended local purposes rather than being repurposed at the federal level.

Context and next steps

Pickett spoke before JFAC as the committee continued its FY 2026 budget work. He referenced an upcoming Office of Performance Evaluations report on K‑12 characteristics and funding that the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee would hear later the same day. His remarks were framed as a policy overview rather than a specific motion; several JFAC members later referenced community college needs while considering enrollment workload adjustments and an outcome‑based funding directive.