Bill > S1362

This bill appropriates funds to the Public Schools Educational Support Program for fiscal year 2027, allocating money to various divisions including Teachers, Student Support, the Idaho Digital Learning Academy (IDLA), Facilities, Central Services, and Services for the Deaf and the Blind, with specific amounts designated for professional development for teachers, additional compensation for instructional and pupil service staff, and discretionary funds for school districts. The bill also clarifies the original funding sources for these expenditures, directs the use of funds for professional development to improve student learning and teacher performance, and provides estimates for discretionary funds and health benefits per support unit, which is a measure of school district size and resource needs. Additionally, it allocates funds for classroom technology, coursework for students needing remediation, English language learner programs, and advanced opportunities courses, while also authorizing transfers between divisions of the program and specifying how certain funds, like those from cigarette, tobacco, and lottery taxes, will be distributed for school safety and substance abuse prevention. The bill also includes provisions for digital content and curricula, specifies the operational requirements for the IDLA, and outlines the use of funds for literacy programs, student assessments, and statewide training for early literacy, with reporting requirements for the State Department of Education on the effectiveness and use of these funds. Finally, it addresses year-end reconciliation of funds, defines key terms like "distributed" and "expended," and mandates competitive acquisition processes for contracts over a certain value, with a report required on these contracts.

Budget and Finance, Justice

Finance Committee (Senate)

https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2026/legislation/S1362/