A combination of reduced funding sources resulted in a difficult 2023-2024 school year full of hard decisions in the Nampa School District. Students are back from summer break this week with new schools and new schedules.
In a recent interview with the Idaho Press, Superintendent Gregg Russell said that budget adjustments are a part of planning every year but that this year was particularly tight.
“To me, it’s not any different. It’s something you would do every year,” he said. “I think what was unique about last year was three things hit at once: the state making that decision (to end enrollment-based funding), the federal dollars going away, and then our enrollment dropping yet again.”
The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, also known as CARES, provided emergency funds to schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. For many districts this year, the fund has officially run out.
Also during the COVID-19 pandemic, Idaho moved to enrollment-based funding and away from attendance-based funding to support districts while students were not in school. As of 2023, the state moved back to attendance-based funding, resulting in a $5.5 million annual decrease.