Budget back-and-forth: Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield again refused to submit a budget to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee with cuts beyond what Gov. Brad Little outlined in his official budget. And her strategy seems to have worked.
• JFAC co-chairs had tasked Critchfield with cutting 2% from the K-12 budget for fiscal years 2026 and 2026. Gov. Little has been clear that K-12 budgets must be kept whole. As Idaho Education News first reported, Gov. Little said he and Critchfield are “not inclined to negotiate.”
• Rep. Josh Tanner (R-Eagle) and Sen. Scott Grow (R-Eagle) had asked for the cuts to help Idaho conform with the federal tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill. Additional cuts to schools would help Idaho stay in the black, Tanner and Grow said.
• On Friday, JFAC members moved forward with a plan to slash agencies up to 5% — but not K-12. JFAC members Sen. Kevin Cook (R-Idaho Falls) and Rep. James Petzke (R-Meridian) have pushed back on the entire budget, with Cook calling the current approach a “chainsaw to the budget.”
• JFAC is also calling for cuts to Medicaid, which will affect special education funding. School districts are often reimbursed by Medicaid for classroom support personnel and other special education needs.
• There’s still room for change. Once JFAC sets budgets, they must be passed by both the House and Senate and signed by the governor. Expect more news in the week ahead.
Blaine Amendment in the crosshairs: It’s a perennial question in the Legislature: Is it time to get rid of the Blaine Amendment in the Idaho Constitution? This week, legislators said yes.
• The Blaine Amendment bars local and state governments from using public funds for religious institutions, including schools.
• Although the idea has been kicked around before, this week a repeal got fresh wind under its sails: An 8-6 vote in the House State Affairs Committee that calls for a repeal of the Blaine Amendment to appear on the ballot in November’s general election. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Elaine Price (R-Coeur d’Alene).
• Repealing the Blaine Amendment would further erode any deterrents toward putting public money toward private education.
Tighter rules for virtual schools: IEA member Rep. Soñia Galaviz (D-Boise), along with Rep. Douglas Pickett (R-Oakley) and Rep. Clay Handy (R-Burley) put forth House Bill 588, which will tighten oversight, accountability and guardrails around virtual education and virtual charter schools.
• The bill is expected to appear before the House Education Committee soon.
Other Education Legislation
• AI bill: A bill that would develop a statewide framework for AI use in K-12 public schools passed the Senate this week. Senate Bill 1227, sponsored by Sen. Kevin Cook (R-Idaho Falls) and Rep. Jeff Ehlers (R-Meridian), now heads to the House Education Committee.
• Social studies standards: Idaho finally has updated social studies standards, which were a point of contention last year after the Legislature rejected the recommendations from an Idaho Department of Education committee.The committee went back to the drawing board to address concerns about the stringency of its U.S. history recommendations.
• Bullying reporting bill: A bill that will require parental notification for “serious” incidences of bullying easily passed the House and now moves to the Senate. The bill’s sponsor is Rep. Chris Mathias (D-Boise).
• SPED resolution: The House Education Committee passed a resolution — which is non-binding — asking the federal government to fulfill its obligation to fully fund its obligation to special education. The federal government has not done so since special education in public schools became the law of the land in 1975. Rep. Ben Fuhriman (R-Shelley) sponsored the resolution.
