Idaho State Board of Education presents expanded budget request focused on workforce grants, IT and school safety

Kevin Campbell, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the Joint Finance Committee workgroup that the Office of the State Board of Education (OSB) has grown in staff and responsibility and now manages administration, IT and data, and a school safety and security program. "Idaho Code section 33‑101 creates the Board for the general supervision, governance, and control of all state educational institutions," Campbell said, noting OSB now has 84.25 authorized full‑time positions (with eight vacancies) and a five‑year average authorized count of 55.95.

The briefing centered on OSB’s FY2026 requests and recent expansions. The largest single new request is Governor Little’s proposed one‑time "public‑private workforce capacity" grant of $15 million. "This grant will allow institutions to build infrastructure capacity if it relates to workforce training and in‑demand careers and incentivize institutions to partner with local community members to raise funds for the projects," Campbell said. The proposal would require institutions to raise private dollars that the state would match at a 1:1 ratio for Boise State University, Idaho State University and the University of Idaho and at a 1:2 ratio for Lewis‑Clark State College and the four community colleges.

Why it matters: OSB has taken on…