The Idaho State Board of Education approved a temporary rule change this week that will allow schools to use their full-time equivalent student enrollment numbers instead of average daily attendance to calculate the amount of state funding districts receive.
The change will provide school districts the flexibility to count students who may not be physically present in a classroom because of remote or hybrid learning structures put into place because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tim Hill, the associate deputy superintendent at the Idaho state Department of Education, said the change will measure the amount of minutes students spend in their courses, instead of the number of students who are physically present in a classroom.
The temporary rule change was approved unanimously on Wednesday and is effective immediately.
Tracie Bent, the chief planning and policy officer for the board, said several legislators had previously expressed their discomfort with the change that was approved.
“They felt that should really be a legislative decision,” Bent said.
But presenters to the state board said districts can’t afford to wait until January’s legislative session for a decision to be made.
The board will revisit the rule after a 21-day comment period. The Idaho Legislature will then consider the pending rule in January.
In other news:
The board approved a request from the University of Idaho to discontinue several graduate-level academic programs. The eliminated degrees were based in philosophy, rehabilitation counseling and human services, bioregional planning and community design, and a master of laws degree.
The board approved capital budget requests from its four-year public higher education institutions, which will now be forwarded to the Permanent Building Fund Advisory Council for consideration.
UI requested $1.5 million from the permanent building fund in fiscal year 2022 for the construction of its new Idaho Center for Plant and Soil Health facility located at the Parma Research and Extension Center. The total cost of the 12,500-square-foot building is $7 million. UI plans to request another $1.5 million from the permanent building fund in fiscal year 2023.
UI also requested $5 million for its under-construction Idaho Central Credit Union Arena, which will seat 4,000 people.
Lewis-Clark State College requested $1.95 million for the renovation of its Whitman Complex and expansion of its diesel program and $3.8 million for upgrades to its Administration Building.
LCSC also requested more than $2.1 million for renovations of Vollmer Bowl and Sweeney Track, which is currently owned by the Lewiston School District, and Fenton Gym, which is owned by the city of Lewiston. Upgrades to the shared-use facilities would allow the college to expand its athletic offerings, stated material provided to the board.
The board approved a motion that will distribute $1 million to school districts in the state to address social-emotional learning among students. Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra said the districts will be able to decide how to use the money to best meet the needs of their students.
Justyna Tomtas may be contacted at jtomtas@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2294. Follow her on Twitter @jtomtas.
