Among neighboring states, Idaho ranks lowest for state and local financial aid per college student, according to a new report out today from the state's Office of Performance Evaluations. Yet, more than $1.3 million in scholarship funds that Idaho lawmakers appropriated in the past two years has gone unspent, as the Office of the State Board of Education reverted the money back to the general fund rather than spending it on scholarships. “While these scholarship moneys, in excess of $1.3 million, were reverted back to the General Fund and were not lost, per se, they were not used for their intended scholarship purposes,” wrote legislative budget director Cathy Holland-Smith in a letter included in the report. She said her office supports the report's recommendation that the state Board of Education work with the Legislature to review current appropriations. Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, said, “It's hard enough to get funds into those scholarships, and of course when it reverts we use it, but then you can't get it back.”

The report, which looked into reducing barriers to post-secondary education in Idaho, suggested better coordination of school counselors statewide and reducing student-to-counselor ratios, which now exceed national guidelines. It also called for more need-based aid for college students; better tracking of whether Idaho students go on to higher education; and better coordination of workforce needs with degree programs through the Department of Labor and the State Board of Education. The state board has set a goal to have 60 percent of Idahoans aged 25-34 have a college degree or at least a one-year certificate by 2020. That was based on a national study estimating that by 2018, 60 percent of jobs will require such a degree. But the report found that in Idaho, most jobs actually don't require such degrees. “Idaho has continued to grow in low-wage, low-skill jobs over the past ten years,” the report found. The full report will be posted online here shortly.