Idaho schools chief seeks 5.3% budget hike to $2 billion

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Idaho schools chief Sherri Ybarra on Thursday proposed a 5.3% hike in public school funding to just under $2 billion from the state's general fund.

The Republican superintendent of public instruction made the request to the Legislature's budget-setting committee.

The request is about $100 million more than last year's budget, and about $20 million more than requested by Republican Gov. Brad Little.

The money is used to educate some 300,000 students in K-12 in Idaho's 115 school districts. The state spends about half of its budget on K-12 education.

The Joint Appropriations-Finance Committee won't make a decision on setting Ybarra's budget until later in the legislative session.

Her overall budget, including federal money, is about $2.3 billion.