Bill Analyses and Ratings

Rating: –1

Bill Summary:

Senate Bill 1096 replaces Idaho’s traditional “support unit” public school funding model with a new weighted per-student formula based on average daily attendance (ADA). Under the new system, additional funding is granted for students identified as economically disadvantaged, English language learners, special education, gifted and talented, those in small districts, and at-risk students in alternative schools. These weights are stackable, meaning districts receive increased funding per student when multiple criteria are met. The bill also updates numerous statutory provisions to align with the new formula and takes effect July 1, 2025.

Reason for Rating:

While this bill is framed as a modernization effort, it risks violating several principles outlined in the Idaho Republican Party Platform. First, the use of weighted funding based on student characteristics introduces an equity-based redistribution model, which contradicts the platform’s emphasis on equality of opportunity over equality of outcome. Awarding more tax dollars for certain categories of students—especially based on economic disadvantage, language status, or at-risk labeling—moves the state toward identity-based funding allocation, a model commonly associated with progressive education policy.

Second, the bill subtly expands state centralization of education funding. By assigning rigid, state-defined weights to student categories, it limits local discretion in prioritizing resources and undermines the platform’s call for local control of schools and parental authority in education (Article IX – Education; Article XV – Family). The platform warns against government-run education being used as a tool of social engineering. The funding criteria in SB 1096 risk incentivizing districts to focus on categorization over core academics.

Finally, the bill entrenches a system that continues to favor government-operated education institutions at the expense of educational freedom and school choice. The platform explicitly supports “direct funding of students” and policies that empower parents to choose alternatives like homeschooling, private education, and charter schools. SB 1096 does not expand school choice or portability of funds—it simply redistributes existing public education dollars within the government system.