State board office details expanded budget, highlights $15 million workforce grant request and growth in centralized staff

The Office of the State Board of Education outlined its FY2026 budget request and recent organizational changes during the Joint Finance Committee work group, noting transfers that increased centralized staff and a governor‑proposed one‑time $15 million public‑private workforce capacity grant.

Kevin Campbell, Budget and Policy Analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the committee the Office of the State Board (OSB) is responsible under Idaho Code section 33‑101 for managerial, financial and coordinating functions across state educational institutions and that OSB now includes divisions for administration, IT and data management, and school safety and security. He said OSB currently has 84.25 authorized full‑time positions with eight vacancies and a five‑year average authorized FTP of 55.95, a figure Campbell said was skewed low because of recent transfers into the office.

The committee heard that major recent additions included IT and data management transferred from the State Department of Education, the school safety and security program (moved to OSB in FY2022), risk management staff taken in from institutions, and internal audit staff. Joshua (Josh) Whitworth, executive director of the State Board of Education, told…