[Idaho] Senate kills bill for $3M for high needs SPED students; $82.2M SPED deficit

Mar 26, 2025, Idaho Press: Senate kills bill to provide $3 million for high-need special ed students...

The Idaho Senate on Tuesday narrowly killed a bill that would have provided $3 million to fund services for high-needs students.

The bill came the same year an independent evaluations office released a report that found the state’s K-12 public school funding was not covering the costs to serve students with special needs with a total gap of $82.2 million, the Idaho Press reported.

House Bill 291 looked like it was going to pass, but Sen. Ben Adams, R-Nampa, changed his vote, and it died 17-18.

Under the bill, districts that had already spent $15,000 on special education services — such as nursing, specialized equipment, interpreting and speech therapy — would be able to request reimbursement for additional spending on those services for up to $65,000, and an 80% reimbursement of expenses beyond that up to $100,000 per student.

Bill sponsor Sen. Camille Blaylock, R-Caldwell, highlighted examples in the Caldwell School District, such as a student who requires an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, which costs $55,000 a year and is not covered by insurance. She cited another student who requires a behavioral interventionist, occupational therapy and speech therapy as well as other services that cost a total of $65,000 a year with minimal insurance coverage.