Beyond the Bell offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Boise School District—covering the financial, operational, and policy decisions that shape our schools. |
Unfortunately, for the last few years, the phrase that may be best used to summarize the Legislature’s approach to public education, is, “Well, it could’ve been worse.” While tight budgets dominated much of the conversation, very little was done to actually improve the lives of Idaho’s public school students.
Overall K–12 Funding
You may hear that K-12 education was “held harmless” this year while other state agencies faced significant cuts. This is not entirely true. We’re still analyzing the overall impact of a number of funding related bills, however, there will be a number of areas, including instructional support staff and student transportation, where we will see significant reductions in state spending. Stay tuned to this space in the coming months for details.
Bright Spots
It’s hard to find major victories this year, however, there were a few initiatives that will ease some of the pressure on school personnel and public school families.
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House Bill 515: Thanks to the multi-year effort of Rep. Chris Mathais to bring clarity involving bullying, families whose students are involved in a serious bullying incident are notified so they can respond accordingly.
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House Bill 531: Allows us to stock and administer nasal epinephrine and not just EpiPens.
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House Bill 712: Provides for a voluntary high school diploma endorsement recognizing Idaho students who have attained a high level of civics knowledge and engagement.
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House Bill 860: Addressed issues that arose over last year’s infamous “Band-Aid” bill that effectively barred public school employees from applying basic first aid without explicit parental consent. Parents will now be able to sign a blanket consent form covering minor medical and illness treatments.
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Senate Bill 1227: Idaho will develop a statewide framework for the responsible use of AI in K-12 education. With the goal that Idaho schools use technology wisely, preparing students for the future while protecting privacy, maintaining local control, and keeping teachers at the center of learning. The bill calls for the development of AI literacy guidance, educator professional development recommendations, and parent resources to improve understanding and transparency.
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Senate Bill 1412: This legislation strengthens transparency and reporting requirements related to misconduct involving students. It clarifies reporting obligations and requires disclosure of pending investigations, resignations during investigations, and disciplinary actions involving misconduct when hiring individuals who will work with students. The bill also requires that resignations, terminations, or administrative leave occurring during investigations of misconduct involving students be referred to the Idaho Professional Standards Commission for review.
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Continual Erosion of Local Control
The legislature’s willingness to override locally-elected school boards continued in 2026. Whether it was legislation mandating a moment of silence every morning (good luck Kindergarten teachers), infringement on how we manage relationships with our teachers’ union, further restrictions on access to library materials, limiting classroom displays or the overt politicalization of civics curriculum, the ability for local school districts to more closely reflect the wishes of local parents, students and neighbors is harder than ever.
We will continue to keep you informed as we gain a better understanding of the legislation and what to expect in the next school year.
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With the legislature adjourned, our budget for next year is beginning to take shape. In addition to regular updates to our Board of Trustees, we’ve prepared a brief presentation for community groups, as well as articles like this one to bring clarity to what can be a complicated subject.
Currently, our focus is on reviewing what’s driving costs, identifying our priorities, and planning for the year ahead.
A few key factors are shaping our budget this year:
- Enrollment is declining: Over the past decade, we’ve seen a steady decrease in student enrollment due to declining birth rates and rising home prices, and we’re projecting about 650 fewer students next year. Since school funding is largely tied to enrollment, fewer students means fewer dollars coming in.
- Costs are rising: Health insurance, utilities, and property insurance are all increasing, in some cases significantly. These are the same pressures families feel at home—just at a much larger scale.
- Staffing doesn’t always match funding formulas: Like many districts, we often staff above what the state funds to meet student needs—especially in areas like special education, where enrollment is actually growing.
- Flat state funding, with some cuts to operational areas: As we covered in the previous article, public schools were largely unaffected by state budget cuts, but flat funding while costs rise is effectively a reduction.
At the same time, about 82% of our general fund goes directly to salaries and benefits, which reflects what matters most: the people working with students every day. For us, this means we have to make thoughtful, sometimes difficult decisions on how best to balance rising costs with limited revenue, while staying focused on students.
Our guiding principles remain the same:
- Keep decisions student-centered
- Be fiscally responsible
- Maintain equity across schools and programs
- Stay aligned with our long-term strategic plan
As we move forward, we’ll continue sharing updates and inviting input.
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Each year, as we begin budgeting season, our Board agrees to a clearly defined timeframe for developing our budget, including multiple opportunities for the public to review and comment prior to final approval in June. At the February Board meeting and based on the same structure as last year, Trustees set the timeline for the development of our 2026 - 2027 budget:
April 30, 2026 Board Workshop
May 11, 2026 Regular Board Meeting
- The administration shares budget priorities and recommendations.
- Public Input
May 28, 2026 Board Workshop
June 8, 2026 Regular Board Meeting
- Public Input
- Final Approval of Budget for 2026-27
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As part of our commitment to providing those we serve with meaningful opportunities to provide feedback on our priorities, during the last two weeks of February 2026 we asked all parents, employees, and 3rd through 12th grade students to complete a brief survey assessing their engagement and satisfaction with their school and our district.
Once again, the results were overwhelmingly positive, but there are areas where we can improve. District leadership and school principals are using the data to better inform planning for the 2026 - 2027 school year.
Stay tuned! We’ll continue to analyze the results and communicate specific initiatives aimed at improving satisfaction as we move through the rest of the year.
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Student, parent, and community engagement is a critical component in the ongoing success of the Boise School District. While parents, staff, businesses and community organizations routinely and productively engage directly with the Board of Trustees of the Boise School District and District Administration, student engagement is heavily focused at the individual school level or through aggregated sources such as surveys, focus groups and the many student organizations that we offer.
For a complete description of the committee's structure, objectives and selection process, please visit our website.
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We’ve launched a new webpage to help families learn more about our transition to Standards Based Reporting.
Standards Based Reporting is designed to provide clearer, more meaningful information about what students know and are able to do. As we prepare for initial implementation at elementary schools next year, our focus is on building understanding and answering your questions. On the webpage, you’ll find:
- A short overview of Standards Based Reporting
- A parent presentation used at upcoming information sessions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Contact information for additional support
Upcoming Family Engagement Nights
We also invite you to join us at our upcoming Family Engagement Meetings to learn more, ask questions, and hear directly from district and school staff. Additional details and dates are available on the webpage.
We look forward to partnering with you as we take this next step in supporting student learning.
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🏫 Schools & Enrollment
- 48 neighborhood schools with open enrollment
- Full-day Kindergarten at every elementary school
- 2 District-wide Early Childhood Learning Centers
🎓 Academics & Teachers
- 72% of teachers hold a Master’s degree
- 67% of graduates pursue post-secondary education
🔧 Career & Technical Education
- 5,000+ students enrolled in Career-Technical Programs
🍎 Student Support
- Free breakfast for all students
- Access to social workers and counselors at all schools
⚽ Activities & Opportunities
- 200+ sports, clubs, and student-led organizations
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We maintain a rich archive of past Board of Trustee meetings and additional district operational information. Board agendas can be found online and contain not only topics discussed but also links to presentations from students, teachers and administrators on a host of school district initiatives, operations and programs. Video of regular Board meetings are available on our YouTube channel.
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Follow us on these platforms to stay informed and engaged:
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