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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

JFAC preparing to set public school budget…

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee prepares to set the public schools budget on Monday morning. (Betsy Russell)
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee prepares to set the public schools budget on Monday morning. (Betsy Russell)

JFAC is preparing this morning to set the public school budget, the single largest piece of the state's budget. Though the joint committee had been working most of the session toward a target of $1.208 billion in state general funds, a significant cut, the target this morning is $1.224 billion, an increase of about $15 million over that original target, which would be a $9.3 million increase in general funds rather than a $6 million cut. The difference comes from additional tax collections anticipated at the state Tax Commission due to the addition of auditors. The result still would be a cut in overall funds for schools next year, but a small increase in state general funds of 0.8 percent.

Though that'd be $9.3 million more in state general funds than this year, the hit to schools would be roughly a $47 million cut, once accounting for student growth and for the loss of $35 milion in one-time funds, including an extra payment from the state endowment, that helped prop up the schools budget this year. This year's budget reflected an unprecedented $128.5 million cut from the previous year in overall funds. Sen. Dean Cameron, JFAC co-chair, said of the $47 million figure, "That's what the schools will feel."

To accomplish that budget, legislative budget writers wrote into their plans a 1.87 percent pay cut for teachers, administrators and classified staff in base salaries. Part of that comes from a $14.8 million reduction in salary-based apportionment required under the new school reform bill, SB 1184, and an additional $13.3 million cut designed to help balance the budget and meet the bottom line. The overall budget is $12 million below the governor's recommendation for public schools for next year.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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