Today is the day that the public school budget – the single largest piece of Idaho’s state budget – will be set in the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee. The complicated budget is split into seven budget divisions, each with a separate debate and vote; an array of lawmakers have been working on crafting the various budgets, including Sens. Mortimer, Lacey and Schmidt and Reps. Horman and Miller.

All five JFAC members are jointly proposing budgets for all of the divisions but one – the operations division, which includes operational or “discretionary” funding to school districts. Mortimer, Horman and Miller are proposing $27.3 million to bring discretionary funding back up to the fiscal year 2009 level of $25,696 per support unit, roughly per classroom; Schmidt and Lacey are proposing an additional $5 million to bring that figure up to $26,032 per classroom.

Before starting debate on the school budget this morning, JFAC is setting budgets for the state Commission for Libraries and the state Controller’s office.