Idaho House Bill H0452

Idaho 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/25/25
• Engrossed: 3/26/25
• Refer: 3/27/25
• Report Pass: 3/27/25
• Enrolled: 4/2/25
• Chaptered: 4/3/25
• Passed: 4/3/25

Caption

Relates to the appropriation to the Public Schools Educational Support Program's Division of the Idaho Digital Learning Academy for fiscal year 2026.

Summary

House Bill 452 makes a supplemental appropriation for fiscal year 2026 to the Idaho Digital Learning Academy (IDLA), adding $3,577,600 from the General Fund through the Public School Income Fund. The bill also directs that the same amount be treated as General Fund spending, and it bars withdrawals from the Public Education Stabilization Fund for IDLA services provided during the prior fiscal year, requiring the academy to use existing cash balances for any eligible enrollments above the appropriation. In addition to the appropriation, the bill revises how IDLA is funded and how its tuition is set. It lowers the maximum tuition charged by IDLA to Idaho school districts and charter schools from $75 to $40 per enrollment, while increasing the statutory per-enrollment support amount from $430 to $445. It also amends the existing funding statute to require an initial 80% distribution by July 31 and a final reconciliation payment by May 15, with enrollment verification and possible withholding or recovery to match actual enrollments. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025, as an emergency measure.

Impact

The bill affects state education finance law by changing both the appropriation and the statutory funding formula for IDLA. It amends Section 22 of House Bill 251 and Idaho Code section 33-1020, altering tuition limits, per-enrollment support, payment timing, and reconciliation procedures. It also imposes a new reporting requirement on IDLA to provide detailed cost and enrollment data to the Legislative Services Office, which is intended to inform future legislative review of the academy’s funding process.

Sentiment

The recorded floor votes suggest the bill had majority support in both chambers, passing the House 51-15 and the Senate 27-8. That pattern indicates generally favorable sentiment toward maintaining and adjusting funding for IDLA, likely reflecting broad support for digital learning services and the need to keep the program operating. At the same time, the non-unanimous votes show that some lawmakers were not fully comfortable with the funding approach or the policy changes tied to the appropriation.

Contention

The main points of contention appear to be the funding mechanism, the use of stabilization funds, and the appropriate level of tuition and per-enrollment support. Section 4’s prohibition on withdrawing from the Public Education Stabilization Fund for prior-year services suggests concern about relying on reserve funds, while Section 5’s legislative intent language shows interest in reexamining how IDLA is billed and funded in future sessions. The reduction in tuition charged to districts and charters, paired with an increase in state support per enrollment, may also have been debated as a shift in cost burden between the state and local education entities.