Getting ready to spend 47% of state budget…

There’s not much the Idaho Legislature deals with that’s more complicated that Idaho’s public schools budget. This morning, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee will set that budget. “Whichever way it goes, this will be 47 percent of the general fund budget, so it’s by far the largest general fund budget we have before you,” budget analyst Paul Headlee told the joint committee.

Two separate, competing sets of motions have been prepared by JFAC members; the public school budget is divided into six separate motions, for various divisions including administrators, teachers, operations and more.

Sen. Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls, and Sen. Cliff Bayer, R-Boise, have put together one set of motions, which comes to a 2 percent increase in state general funds, matching the governor’s recommendation, and 1.8 percent in total funds. The second set of motions, put together by nine JFAC members led by Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Idaho Falls, and Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, shows a 2.2 percent increase in state general funds, slightly over the governor’s recommendation, and 2 percent in total funds. Both are below state schools Superintendent Tom Luna’s request for a 3 percent increase.