House education committee approves introduction of bill to create Public Education Facilities Grant Fund

The House Committee on Education voted on Jan. 28 to introduce RS 32040, a bill that would repeal an older loan-and-grant program and establish a new Public Education Facilities Fund to provide need‑based grants to school districts for construction, remodeling and emergency repairs.

Representative Rod Furness, co-sponsor of RS 32040, told the committee the bill would help districts facing urgent facility problems such as failed boilers, collapsing walls or other safety issues. "This bill would help them do that," he said, citing an elementary school in Salmon that he described as "tipping somewhat" and noting the district passed a roughly $20 million bond but remained about $3 million short of the cost of a new elementary school.

The bill would repeal a prior statutory program that Furness said authorized $25 million more than a decade ago and has been largely unused. RS 32040 would transfer that $25 million into the new fund and would permit the State Board of Education's office to award grants based on demonstrated financial need and project documentation, including design plans, bids and three years of district budgets. Furness said the fund is explicitly limited to core…