Bill recognizing professional experience in school salary funding advances
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on March 9, 2026
By Kevin Richert and Ryan Suppe:
BOISE, Idaho — A bill that would recognize professional experience outside the classroom on the career ladder is heading to the full House.
Currently, career-technical educators must receive four years of proficient evaluations before they can move up the career ladder, the state’s salary funding model. The bill would allow CTE instructors and professional support staff to move up the ladder with years of experience outside of schools.
“It’s going to help us retain these critical educators,” said Rep. Soñia Galaviz, D-Boise.
Galaviz is co-sponsoring the bill with Rep. Shawn Dygert, R-Melba.
The House Education Committee unanimously voted Monday to send the proposal to the full House. The committee advanced a replacement for the original bill, House Bill 816, after a “technical error” needed correcting.
The bill would apply to CTE instructors and licensed professional staff like school psychologists, therapists counselors, social workers and nurses.
Teresa Fritsch, a retired school psychologist and board member for the National Association of School Psychologists, told the committee that the bill would help pay and recruit psychologists amid a “critical shortage.”
“If there were more school psychologists in public schools, they would be able to provide more support to families and their students, particularly in our rural districts,” Fritsch said.
House Education took action on two other bills Monday:
Charter transportation. The committee unanimously approved a bill to make a narrow change to the state’s transportation funding program, allowing one charter school to collect an increased busing reimbursement.
Galaviz wants to close a funding loophole for Anser Charter School in Garden City. Anser’s share of state transportation funding is based on its first foray into busing, a small grant-funding program for physical education.
“Now they have a full busing system, and they are underfunded,” said Galaviz, who is sponsoring the bill.
Anser gets about a 50% funding match from the state. Most school districts and charter schools get 70% to 90%.
House Bill 815 now heads to the full House.
DOGE cleanup. The committee also approved a bill from the DOGE Task Force that would eliminate “obsolete, outdated and unnecessary” sections of state law.
The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 1291.
