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House education chair urges continued investment in K-12, warns rural schools risk being left behind
Summary
Representative Doug Pickett told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that Idaho has increased K-12 spending and teacher pay over the past decade but that rural districts face unique funding needs, calling for targeted support for transportation, special education and facilities.
Representative Doug Pickett, chair of the Idaho House Education Committee, told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on March 7 that Idaho has increased investment in public education but must prioritize rural districts and career-technical education capacity.
Pickett said Idaho’s K-12 budget “has doubled from 1,400,000,000.0 to 2,800,000,000.0” over the past decade and that “Idaho's average K-12 teacher pay has increased to nearly $63,000 this school year, representing a 42% increase over the past decade.” He thanked JFAC for the committee’s recent action to add “an additional 83,000,000 plus dollars” for teacher salaries and noted the state…
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