Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Public school budget passes on unanimous Senate votes, goes to governor

On a series of unanimous, 33-0 votes, the Senate has now passed all seven bills that make up the public school budget and sent them to the governor’s desk. JFAC Co-Chair Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, complimented the members of the joint budget committee for their “good work” on the budget, saying, “It’s a sound budget that does good things for our public schools.” Sen. Abby Lee, R-Fruitland, returned the compliment to Keough for her “excellent work” leading the panel.

The budget, 48.8 percent of the state’s general fund, adds up to nearly $1.7 billion, a 6.3 percent increase over this year. The budget includes a 4.1 percent increase in discretionary funds to school districts to $26,748 per support unit (a support unit is roughly one classroom full of kids). It includes $62 million to fully fund the third year of the teacher “career ladder” pay improvement program; 3 percent base salary increases for administrators and classified staff who aren’t on the career ladder; a $5 million increase in classroom technology funding; and a $4.25 million increase in funding for professional development, which is a 33 percent increase.

Senate Education Chairman Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls, who had been on the losing end of a fight in the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee over how the school budget handled health insurance cost increases for school district employees, spoke out about the issue, but made it clear he wasn’t debating against the budget bills, for which he voted. Mortimer had advocated a big, multimillion-dollar line item in the public school budget for the insurance cost increases; Gov. Butch Otter had called for a $15 million line item for that, but no increase in discretionary funds to school districts. The budget that JFAC crafted recognizes the insurance costs, but still gives districts discretion as to where they spend their funds.

Mortimer said he’s been trying to sound the alarm that school districts are raising deductibles and increasing the amounts their employees must pay for health insurance because of rising costs, and it could impact teacher recruitment and retention. “I feel that I may in some way have failed as an education chair this year, from the standpoint of I have not been able to explain and get a consensus behind the importance that I feel, and I think our districts really feel, about health care specifically, and how important it is for our K-12 employees,” he said. He noted that lawmakers have specifically funded a portion of the health insurance cost increases for other state employees.

“Senators, it is very important that our districts get help with their K-12 insurance,” Mortimer said. “This budget doesn’t address that. We could have done a little better. I’m committing to each of you and to the education community that we will try.”

Sen. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, said he didn’t think Mortimer had failed. “He has not failed – he brought it to the forefront,” he said.

Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking, D-Boise, said, “We’re thinking that we’ve got maybe, hopefully some minds put to work … 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.

Follow Betsy online: