Bill Analyses and Ratings

Rating: –1

Bill Summary:

House Bill 449 appropriates $2,200,000 from the General Fund to the Public Schools Educational Support Program’s Division of Central Services for Fiscal Year 2026. The funding is directed to operating expenditures and is routed through the Public School Income Fund. The bill clarifies that the amount is considered expended from the General Fund, despite its transfer mechanism. It does not add personnel or include performance requirements. An emergency clause is included, making the bill effective on July 1, 2025.

Reason for Rating:

House Bill 449 increases state-level education bureaucracy spending without implementing reforms, accountability standards, or offsets. The funding supports administrative operations rather than local schools, students, or classroom instruction. By expanding centralized spending and routing it through multiple funds without added transparency, the bill contradicts the Idaho Republican Party Platform’s priorities of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and local control in education. The inclusion of an emergency clause for standard administrative funding further bypasses proper legislative scrutiny. For these reasons, H0449 is rated –1.