School funding bill nearly ready

By Cameron Rasmusson
Reader Staff

Next week could be the ticket for lawmakers to get their first look at a long-anticipated school-funding bill. 

Idaho Education News reports that a bill revamping Idaho’s school-funding formula is nearly ready for introduction, but legislators and education groups are still working behind the curtain to finalize changes before it is introduced to the public. 

Most agree that Idaho’s education funding model is badly in need of an update. It is based on a 1950s model that allocates funding based on how many students show up for class. However, the Associated Press reports that this model doesn’t account for changes in the internet age, which include online learning and students switching schools. Work to update the funding model has unfolded over three years.