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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

School-choice group pushes for veto override on funding bill

The Coalition of Idaho Charter School Families, a school-choice group, has announced it’s pushing for an override of Gov. Butch Otter’s veto of HB 126, which would have changed the state school funding formula to benefit schools that see enrollment increases during the academic year. Otter noted the $1.7 million cost to the state general fund, and said the state would end up paying twice for students who transfer during the school year, a view shared by the Idaho School Boards Association and the Idaho Association of School Administrators, who opposed the bill. The coalition said in a news release that it wants state funding that “follows the child to the school of their choice.”

Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale, told Idaho Education News on Friday that she’s offered another version of the bill to the governor’s office, and Otter’s staff made a counteroffer, but she said it was unworkable. The vetoed bill has been held at the desk in the House, which leaves it in legislative limbo, writes EdNews reporter Kevin Richert. It passed with two-thirds majorities, which is the amount required to override a veto. The bill could remain on hold for the duration of the session, House Speaker Scott Bedke told Richert, or the House could bring it back and try to override Otter’s veto. Richert’s full report is online here.



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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