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 functions previously run elsewhere — including IT and data management from the State Department of Education, risk management and a school safety program moved into OSB in FY2022. Those transfers and new responsibilities have grown the office’s personnel and operating budget, which committee members said merits scrutiny. Representative Petsky asked whether the agency’s expansion improves efficiency or whether funds would be better directed to institutions; Executive Director Joshua (Josh) Whitworth said centralization aims to reduce duplication and improve systemwide "systemness," citing audits, risk management, and centralized IT support for about 300,000 students.

Lawmakers pressed OSB for more detail. Representative Petsky and Senator Cook asked for plans and performance metrics for IT expansion; Whitworth said several IT positions requested (an infrastructure engineer and a database engineer among them) reflect a transition from contractors to in‑house capacity to manage custom systems and reduce contracting costs. Senator Cook asked for contractor expenditure data and backlog details; Whitworth said the office will provide additional information. Representative Tanner and others sought clarity on reductions tied to former DEI‑funded programs; Whitworth and board allies said much programming previously labeled DEI was funded by student fees and that any state appropriations tied to program changes would be identified.

The committee also probed several specific line items Campbell highlighted: a $30 million ongoing Empowering Parents grant added in FY2024, a $5 million broadband program transferred from the State Department of Education in FY2025, the school safety and security assessment fund (which receives an annual $300,000 transfer from the public school income fund), and enhancements including five new positions and requests to implement behavioral threat assessment teams. Whitworth told the workgroup that the behavioral threat assessment request does require legislation and that a sponsor has the bill in committee now.

Independent Study Idaho drew questions about scope, usage and funding. Whitworth described it as a flexible delivery option for nontraditional students (for example, single parents) who take courses at their own pace. He said most program funding currently comes from student fees — roughly $160 per credit — but that fee revenue has not kept pace with program costs. "Without kind of a base increase, we're expecting cost to basically, well the output to fund the cost and those outputs aren't positive outputs for the actual students," Whitworth said, adding the office is prepared to discuss the program’s future and whether a state base appropriation is warranted.

Committee members requested follow‑up materials and performance metrics before final decisions. Senator Cook asked for a clearer operations plan that ties requested IT positions to measurable outcomes and reduced backlog; Representative Tanner requested an IT plan and details about which FY2026 items would require enabling legislation. Whitworth and Campbell said they will provide the committee additional documentation on IT plans, contractor costs, lists of eligible programs for the workforce grant, and the policy/legal requirements tied to fee‑funded programs.

The session did not record any formal votes on OSB items during the briefing; the committee said it will review materials and discuss budget actions in upcoming workgroup meetings.

Ending: The OSB briefing framed larger themes for the workgroup this session: centralized services and whether systemwide efficiencies justify an expanded central staff, how to measure return on investments for IT and flexible learning programs, and how to structure the public‑private workforce grant so it addresses demonstrable local demand. Lawmakers asked the agency for further documentation — program eligibility lists, IT backlog and contractor spending, and clearer performance outcomes — ahead of budget decisions later this week.