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Senate education panel advances bill to restore staff-hiring flexibility for school districts
Summary
The Senate Education Committee voted to send House Bill 305 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation. The bill would restore a statutory allowance that lets districts hire up to 9.5% fewer certificated staff and use the funds for other local needs, a practice some traditional districts say they lost after a 2016 change in law.
House Bill 305, which would restore a longstanding staff‑allowance flexibility for Idaho public school districts, was advanced out of the Idaho Senate Education Committee on a voice vote Wednesday.
Representative Galaviz, District 16, brought the bill and told the committee the measure would restore a 9.5 percent option that allows districts to hire fewer certificated positions than their salary‑based apportionment would otherwise fund and reallocate those dollars for local needs. "That flexibility is important for a district to be able to meet the most pressing needs within their schools," Galaviz said during the hearing.
The bill responds to a 2016 statutory change that reduces that flexibility by one percentage point for any district whose average class size exceeds the statewide average by one or more…
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