The second week of the Legislative Session got off to a slow and somewhat unusual start, but by the end of the week, activity began to pick up with the introduction of several new bills. The House Education Committee met for the first time since its organizational meeting last week and introduced two new bills, while the Senate Education Committee met on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Read below to learn more about some of the bills that were introduced this week.
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HJR 7 (Blaine Amendment Repeal)
Proposes a constitutional amendment to allow public funds to flow to private/religious entities. ISBA remains opposed based on longstanding policy against diverting public education dollars. This bill requires a 2/3rds majority passage in both the House and the Senate.
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SB 1225: Shifting Public Disclosure in Search Processes
This bill seeks to change how finalist names are disclosed during high-level hiring searches. Currently, boards must name all finalists if there are five or fewer. SB 1225 would require naming only the sole finalist and mandate a 10-business-day waiting period before a final decision. While primarily aimed at university president searches, it carries significant implications for school boards conducting superintendent searches. We are seeking a possible amendment on this legislation to allow for the 10-day period to begin once all finalists are named.
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SB 1227 – Artificial Intelligence Framework for Schools
This legislation directs the State Department of Education to create a statewide framework for generative AI. It emphasizes "human-centered oversight" and requires local boards to adopt policies aligned with the state framework once finalized. The goal is to balance technological integration with critical thinking and academic integrity.
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SJR 102 - Protecting State Lands and Public Access
Introduced on January 21, this proposed constitutional amendment would create a separate trust for future state-acquired federal lands. Crucially, it creates a "firewall" that protects existing School Endowment Lands from management changes while ensuring any newly acquired lands prioritize public access and cannot be sold or privatized. Funds generated on public land would be directed to benefit elementary and secondary public school facilities.
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Additional Legislation to Watch
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HB 510: Protecting Employee Communications with the Legislature
Introduced this week, HB 510 aims to strengthen whistleblower protections for public employees (including school district and charter employees). It explicitly prohibits retaliation against staff who communicate "in good faith" with legislators. While it bans policies requiring employees to get prior permission to speak with lawmakers, it also significantly shortens the public records request timeline for districts.
HB 515 (Bullying/Harassment Reporting)
Streamlines reporting by requiring schools to notify the families of both the victim and the accused in cases resulting in suspension, while removing the requirement to report these individual incidents to the State Department of Education.
HB 516 (Instruction on Gender Identity)
Amends parental rights laws by removing "age appropriate" qualifiers regarding instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity, which may impact classroom discussions on current events that are indirectly related to these subjects, such as supreme court cases.
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Idaho's Community Schools Still Need Your Help
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While Idaho’s Community Schools successfully secured federal grant funding for 2026, the long-term future of this program depends on annual congressional appropriations. Over the next two weeks, Congress is expected to debate the FY26 education budget, which will directly impact the 2027 continuation awards.
How You Can Help:
- Contact our Delegation: Reach out to Idaho’s congressional representatives to urge full funding for the Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) program.
Share Your Story: Use the Idaho Community Schools advocacy tools to highlight the local impact these funds have on student literacy, mental health, and family resources.
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As bills get published this year, we will share information about them weekly through our Capitol Notes Legislative Newsletter and the ISBA Bill Tracker. You can also click here to visit our Advocacy webpage, where you can find old Capitol Notes, the online bill tracker, advocacy documents, and more.
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ISBA's 2026 Legislative Platform
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Are you interested in seeing the progress of ISBA's legislative resolutions since 2018?
Click here to learn which resolutions have become law; which resolutions are still in progress; and which resolutions have stalled.
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Registration is open for ISBA’s 2026 Day on the Hill event - February 16-17, 2026. This event provides an opportunity for attendees to meet with their state legislators to discuss legislative issues impacting public education. It also provides attendees time with colleagues from around the State to visit, share information, and network.
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ISBA is excited to launch our new Legislative Representatives (Leg Rep) Program to help school boards stay informed and engaged during the session. Each district or charter board can designate a board member to serve as their Leg Rep, who will act as their board’s point person for legislative updates, resources, and advocacy opportunities from ISBA.
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Leg Reps will meet virtually twice a month during the legislative session and then monthly afterward. Boards are encouraged to select their Leg Rep as an action item at their January 2026 meeting. The first official Leg Rep meeting called "The Bench" will be held on January 29 at 12:30 p.m. MT/11 a.m. PT.
Learn more about the program and how to get started at https://www.idsba.org/isba-leg-rep-program/.
Once selected, be sure to have your Leg Rep fill out the form found here, to let us know they are participating.
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Who is representing ISBA at the Capitol?
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Misty Swanson
Executive Director
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Quinn Perry
Deputy Director &
Government Affairs
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Katie Russell
Communications & Program Associate
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Katie McInally
Legislative & Communications Intern
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199 N. Capitol Blvd.
Suite 503
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 854-1476
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