Idaho Gov. Brad Little talks budget goals and funding for public and private schools at North Idaho event
Idaho Gov. Brad Little stopped in Hayden Monday to tout his funding proposals for the 2026 budget first unveiled in his State of the State address last week.
Little’s “Keeping Promises” plan prioritizes education, transportation infrastructure, wildfire mitigation and tax relief.
“As always, education’s been my top priority,” Little said in a meeting with local media at Stancraft Jet Center at the Coeur d’Alene Airport. Little spoke in Lewiston later Monday.
The governor’s proposal includes $50 million in new funding for rural school facilities and other initiatives, $83 million for teacher pay and $28 million for teacher health insurance.
The additional pay and benefits are “really important up here in this part of the state where our school districts compete with Washington,” Little said.
The rural schools funding will help balance out $1.5 billion Idaho invested last year in public school facilities. With the way the distribution formula worked, Little said smaller districts didn’t get much benefit. The additional $50 million will help those districts without taking from larger ones.
When it comes to districts that have had difficulty passing bonds and levies, Little said the extra funding he proposes will help those districts take some pressure off their budgets, especially if they need a new building. Then it is up to school board trustees and superintendents to make their case to the public about how urgent other funding is, he said.
Besides the funding for public schools, Little also proposed $50 million to subsidize private schools. He said one option would be to use the money to create tax credits for families whose children attend private schools. A vetting process would review qualifying schools.
“We want it to be fair, responsible, transparent, accountable – and those conversations are taking place every day with our legislative partners,” Little said.
For public safety, Little said he wants $85,000 for a prosecutor to focus on drug trafficking in North Idaho along Interstate 90 and U.S. Highway 95. The prosecutor would be based in Coeur d’Alene, similar to special drug prosecutors based in the Treasure Valley and eastern Idaho.
Other major proposals are $100 million in tax relief, $100 million for fire management and $50 for transportation infrastructure. The transportation investment would go toward the Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation program and would allow the state to bond for an additional $800 million for big projects.
Little said he met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago last week to discuss cutting regulatory red tape, particularly around forest management and infrastructure projects.
“Idaho was DOGE before DOGE was cool,” Little said, repeating a line from his State of the State address that referred to the Trump administration’s proposed Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to slash government spending. Little said that Trump’s new administration is prepared to hit the ground running.
“I’m excited about my partnership with the new administration and all the things we’re going to get done,” Little said.
Little is scheduled to return to North Idaho Feb. 4 to deliver a keynote at a luncheon with the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber at the Coeur d’Alene Resort.