Members of the House Education Committee voted overwhelmingly to oppose HB 477, a measure brought forward by the State Department of Education that would have allowed the SDE to pass along to individual teacher, ESP, and volunteer applicants, the cost of increased fees from the Idaho State Police to perform fingerprint background checks. The bill would have increased fees from $40 to $47.50, resulting in a net collection of $10.75 per regular background check for the department.
When committee members questioned the need to charge applicants more than the actual fee increase required, SDE Deputy Chief of Staff Jason Hancock reported that the additional funds were used to pay for the salaries and benefits of staff who work to get fingerprints scanned and sent to the ISP and ensure that current certificate holders do not slip through the cracks if they have a criminal record.
Some committee members balked at the notion that applicants were being required to pay fees to help employ SDE staff.
