Bill Description: Senate Bill 1147 would add $35 million to the education budget in the form of outcomes-based funding. 

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Does it increase government spending (for objectionable purposes) or debt? Conversely, does it decrease government spending or debt?

Senate Bill 1147 would increase spending on K-12 education by an additional $35 million. While the concept of outcomes-based funding is promising it should be applied to existing funding, not add to an already bloated and inefficient education budget.

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Does it increase government redistribution of wealth? Examples include the use of tax policy or other incentives to reward specific interest groups, businesses, politicians, or government employees with special favors or perks; transfer payments; and hiring additional government employees. Conversely, does it decrease government redistribution of wealth?

Senate Bill 1147 would give additional funding to students who are economically disadvantaged, giving them an additional weight of .75. For the purpose of funding, a students’ socioeconomic status is irrelevant and not a reliable indicator of the need for additional resources. By providing additional funding to economically disadvantaged students instead of allocating resources uniformly across the student body, Senate Bill 1147 is inherently redistributive. 

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Does it in any way restrict public access to information related to government activity or otherwise compromise government transparency, accountability, or election integrity? Conversely, does it increase public access to information related to government activity or increase government transparency, accountability, or election integrity?

Senate Bill 1147 would introduce the concept of outcomes based funding into Idaho’s education system. School districts would receive additional funds based upon meeting certain standards aligned with the state board of education’s “strategic student achievement goals.” 60 percent of the funding will be allocated based on math outcomes, of which half will be determined by the “amount based on the number of students in grades 5 through 8 who advance on a tiered growth model and half of such amount based on the number of students in grades 5 through 8 who are proficient or better” based on the state’s standardized assessment (ISAT). 40 percent of the funding will be allocated based on “secondary outcomes,” with half of that amount “based on improvement in graduation rates or exceeding the statewide graduation rate” and the other half based on the number of students who receive a college or career readiness credential, such as passing a dual enrollment course or technical certification. 

Outcomes-based funding would help improve accountability in our public education system by incentivizing school districts to meet proficiency benchmarks. However, the current proposal is limited in its effectiveness by failing to include incentives for improving literacy, especially considering 68 percent of eighth graders score below proficient in reading according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

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