Luna budget plan includes consolidating school districts in seven counties

State Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna has built into his proposed budget consolidating school districts in the “seven least efficient counties,” or at least funding those districts as if they were consolidated. He said those are the seven counties with the most school districts, and consolidation could save $11 million. However, his staff said later that his proposed budget for next year is not dependent on the move; he’s just letting lawmakers know they could achieve additional savings through consolidation.

The seven counties are: Shoshone, Payette, Canyon, Gooding, Twin Falls, Lincoln and Bingham.