Bill Analyses and Ratings
Bill Information: H0846 – Student Enrollment Count Attendance Rules
Bill Summary
House Bill 846 amends Idaho Code Section 33-1027 to tighten the rules governing when students may be counted as enrolled for official school enrollment counts. The bill makes two targeted changes: it converts existing language in subsection (8) from permissive to mandatory, requiring — rather than merely allowing — school districts and public charter schools to exclude from enrollment counts any student with 11 or more consecutive unexcused absences immediately prior to an official count date. It also adds a new subsection (9) that prohibits schools from counting as enrolled any student who was unexcused for the first 10 consecutive days of the school year, while preserving the ability to count that student from the date they actually attend.
Because Idaho school funding is tied to enrollment counts, these changes directly affect how much state funding a district can claim. Under the old permissive language, a district could choose to count a chronically absent student; under this bill, they cannot. The new subsection (9) closes a separate gap by addressing students who never show up at the start of the year — schools must now wait until actual attendance before counting them.
The bill takes effect July 1, 2026, under an emergency declaration, ensuring the new rules are in place before the 2026–2027 school year begins.
Overall Assessment
This bill protects the integrity of Idaho’s school funding system by ensuring that state dollars follow students who actually attend school. By mandating exclusion of chronically absent students from enrollment counts — both those missing 11 or more consecutive days before a count date and those absent for the first 10 days of the year — the bill prevents districts from drawing funding for students who are not receiving instruction. Schools retain the ability to count late-starting students once they actually appear, preserving flexibility without enabling inflated enrollment figures.
Rating Breakdown
ARTICLE I. RESPONSIBILITY IN GOVERNMENT (0)
The bill tightens administrative procedures for enrollment counting but does not address taxation, state budget appropriations, government size, or fiscal policy. Its effect on state education funding is indirect — it may reduce inflated enrollment counts — but the bill itself makes no appropriation and sets no fiscal policy, placing it outside the core concerns of government fiscal responsibility.
ARTICLE II. CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT IN GOVERNMENT (0)
The bill governs internal school administrative procedures for counting enrolled students and has no bearing on elections, voting, civic participation, or citizens' ability to engage with their government.
ARTICLE III. EDUCATION (1)
The bill directly improves accountability in how Idaho schools report enrollment. Changing 'may not' to 'shall not' in subsection (8) eliminates district discretion that could allow inflated counts, and new subsection (9) closes the loophole of counting students who never appear in the first 10 days of school. Together, these changes ensure that enrollment data — and the funding tied to it — reflects actual student attendance rather than paper enrollment.
ARTICLE IV. AGRICULTURE (0)
The bill addresses school enrollment counting procedures and has no connection to agriculture, farming operations, water law as it relates to agriculture, or rural economic policy.
ARTICLE V. WATER (0)
The bill is confined to education administration and has no relationship to water rights, water appropriation, or state management of water resources.
ARTICLE VI. NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT (0)
The bill governs student enrollment counts in public schools and has no connection to natural resource management, environmental regulation, or land stewardship policy.
ARTICLE VII. ENERGY (0)
The bill makes no changes to energy policy, utility regulation, or resource development and is unrelated to energy independence or production.
ARTICLE VIII. IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORIES (0)
The bill concerns K-12 public school enrollment procedures and has no connection to the Idaho National Laboratory, nuclear research, or defense-related technology programs.
ARTICLE IX. PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS (0)
The bill imposes administrative requirements on public school districts regarding enrollment counting and does not affect private property ownership, use, or takings.
ARTICLE X. STATE AND FEDERAL LANDS (0)
The bill addresses student enrollment counting in public schools and has no bearing on the ownership, management, or transfer of state or federal lands.
ARTICLE XI. WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT (0)
The bill is limited to education enrollment procedures and has no relationship to wildlife management, hunting and fishing regulations, or predator control policy.
ARTICLE XII. ECONOMY (0)
While accurate enrollment counts affect school funding allocations, the bill does not address commerce, small business regulation, labor markets, or transportation infrastructure. Its economic effects are confined to internal school finance administration.
ARTICLE XIII. HEALTH AND WELFARE (0)
The bill governs how schools count enrolled students and does not address healthcare delivery, public health programs, welfare benefits, or medical decision-making.
ARTICLE XIV. AMERICAN FAMILY (0)
The bill sets administrative rules for school enrollment counts and does not address parental rights, family structure, marriage, or child-rearing policy.
ARTICLE XV. OLDER AMERICANS (0)
The bill applies exclusively to K-12 student enrollment procedures and has no relevance to policies affecting older Idahoans, retirement, or senior services.
ARTICLE XVI. LAW AND ORDER WITH JUSTICE (0)
The bill is an administrative education measure and does not touch criminal justice, law enforcement, firearms rights, or judicial processes.
ARTICLE XVII. NATIONAL DEFENSE – SECURING THE BORDER (0)
The bill addresses school enrollment counting and has no connection to military affairs, veterans' services, border security, or immigration enforcement.
ARTICLE XVIII. ELECTION OF JUDGES AND IDAHO SUPREME COURT JUSTICES (0)
The bill makes no changes to judicial selection, court structure, or constitutional interpretation and is unrelated to the election of judges or supreme court justices.
ARTICLE XIX. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY (0)
The bill imposes attendance-based enrollment counting rules on public schools and does not implicate religious exercise, conscience rights, or government interference with religious institutions.