by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports

Lawmakers on both sides of the rotunda this week are debating changes to the $2 billion school facilities modernization bill – even though they already passed the underlying legislation last week.

Upon signature by the governor, House Bill 521 will allow the state of Idaho to bond for $1 billion and distribute those funds to local school districts for their school building modernization needs.

The sweeping legislation covered many disparate accountability measures along with the funding. Among other things, it includes yet-to-be-determined restrictions on school districts’ ability to shift from five-day school weeks to four-day weeks. It also gives the governor the power to appoint the president and executive director of the State Board of Education, positions chosen today by the board members.

The Senate introduced a suite of proposed changes last week.

Limiting four-day weeks a fraught topic

The House Education Committee advanced House Bill 742 on Tuesday morning, and the House approved it later that afternoon. The bill would replace language in HB 521 about districts converting to a four-day school week, citing “minimum contract days or hours and minimum student instructional day or hour requirements” to be set by the State Board of Education.

HB 742 also adds a Senate confirmation vote for the now-appointed state board executive director.

House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star, was noncommittal on the path forward Tuesday afternoon when asked whether the House Republican caucus had discussed any of the Senate trailer bills.

“There’s nothing to talk about until it gets here,” Moyle told Idaho Reports.

Later Tuesday afternoon, the Senate passed its own version of the modifications as SB 1452.

“This particular piece of legislation is very strategic in its approach,” said Senate Education Committee chair Sen. Dave Lent, R-Idaho Falls. “It’s really taking out that specific piece that has caused our districts so much consternation.”

Both trailer bills would subject the state board executive director to Senate confirmation. However, SB 1452 would strike the entire subsection about four-day school weeks rather than amending it.

Lent told Idaho Reports on Tuesday he doesn’t think the House’s trailer bill does enough to address school districts’ concerns over four-day weeks.

“Pull out the language that’s the problem,” Lent said.

The Senate passed SB 1452 with opposition only from Sen. C. Scott Grow, R-Eagle.

The two bills would make similar but conflicting changes to HB 521, so only one could become law.

Pushing more payment to rural districts

The Senate quickly moved to take up another trailer bill, SB 1440, which would adjust the bond distribution.

“We have six so-called trailer bills,” said Sen. Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian. “I take issue with this being called a trailer bill… We have no idea if we’re even going to be able to affect the results of House Bill 521.”

The original legislation will divide the $1 billion bond among school districts based on average daily attendance, adjusted for how many students attend the district in-person in a physical building.

“When you try to distribute funds based on that, you run into inequity,” Lent said. “What this bill does is it puts a cap, a floor and ceiling into the distribution.”

Under HB 521 as already passed by lawmakers, the smallest school districts Prairie Elementary and Three Creek Elementary should receive the minimum $25,000 payment over ten years. Three more districts – Pleasant Valley, Avery, and Arbon – will receive less than $100,000.

The state’s largest school district, West Ada, is set to receive an outlier amount of $140 million.

“We need to look at it on a per-student basis, because that’s where the kids are,” Grow said.

SB 1440 would limit payments to $100 million and increase the minimum distribution to $100,000. That would essentially take $40 million away from West Ada and distribute it to the rest of the state.

“We’re super appreciative of the money that is being proposed to help with our district,” said Sen. Treg Bernt, R-Meridian. “However, in my opinion, you can’t arbitrarily come up with a number.”

The Senate passed SB 1440 in a 22-12 vote, with opposition from Sens. Bernt; Den Hartog; Grow; Ben Adams, R-Nampa; Carl Bjerke, R-CDA; Cindy Carlson, R-Riggins; Dan Foreman, R-Moscow; Phil Hart R-Kellog; Rick Just, D-Boise; Doug Okuniewicz, R-Hayden; Chuck Winder, R-Boise; and Glenneda Zuiderveld, R-Twin Falls.

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