Idaho schools reduce staff amid rising costs, enrollment declines

BOISE (IdahoEdNews.org) — Public schools across Idaho will have fewer teachers and staff members this fall amid declining enrollment and rising costs. 

School boards governing large and small districts — from Pocatello to Buhl to Parma — in recent weeks have eliminated teaching, administrative and staff positions ahead of the 2026-27 school year. The staffing reductions are largely through attrition, meaning unfilled positions will be eliminated, and most employees at districts making cuts will keep their jobs. 

But the cuts are a sign of tightening local budgets, even after the Idaho Legislature kept public school funding flat next school year. While lawmakers mostly spared K-12 from broader cuts that affected colleges, universities and state agencies, many school districts will get less money through the state’s attendance-based funding formula, and local leaders are making staffing cuts to fill gaps caused by rising operations costs. 

The Pocatello-Chubbuck School District is cutting a dozen teaching positions and four counseling jobs. It will be the third consecutive year the district cuts positions, Superintendent Douglas Howell told Idaho Education News. 

Pocatello’s enrollment decreased about 1% between the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years, contributing to a $1.3 million decrease in state funding. Over the last decade, enrollment is down 7%, which spurred an elementary school closure last year. Next year’s position cuts — mostly through attrition — are tied to the enrollment dip, along with the increasing cost of utilities, fuel, supplies and other expenses.

“School districts across Idaho are being asked to do more with resources that are not keeping pace with rising costs,” Howell told patrons in a news release last week. “We have been able to manage these challenges carefully, but these trends remain an ongoing concern for the future.”

Pocatello isn’t alone. The Middleton district could cut more than 20 positions — including seven teachers — after voters rejected its supplemental levy request this month. Twin Falls trustees authorized a reduction in force (RIF) that could cut between 18.5 and 21 positions next school year after enrollment declined for the fourth consecutive year. 

Smaller districts are making similar moves. Parma trustees this month cut positions for one elementary teacher and two middle/high school teachers to avoid a $633,000 deficit next school year. The Aberdeen School District is also weighing a RIF.

The Blaine County district announced in March that it was laying off three staff members. In a letter to patrons, school board chairwoman Lara Stone called it a “difficult but necessary decision.” Enrollment is down while revenue is flat and costs continue to rise, she wrote. 

Stone noted one other “significant and unexpected challenge”: Fewer district employees retired this school year compared to previous years. Between 20 and 25 employees typically retire in a given year, Stone wrote, but only seven retired this school year, meaning the district couldn’t reduce staffing through “natural attrition.”

While Blaine County’s retirement problem may be local, districts across the state are cutting staff for common reasons, including: 

Declining ‘support units’

Idaho public schools are funded through a complex formula that produces “support units,” which essentially represent the cost to operate a classroom. For the current fiscal year, the average support unit was worth $154,000. 

The number of support units a district receives is calculated using attendance — not enrollment — but fewer enrolled students means a district’s attendance numbers likely will decrease, resulting in fewer state dollars. 

Statewide, enrollment in traditional public school districts — excluding public charter schools — was down 1.7% from last spring. 

This decline is part of a national trend. Between fall 2019 and fall 2023, public school enrollment across the United States dropped 2.5%, according to The 74. While the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a downward slide, there are other factors. The U.S. birth rate is at an all-time low. And home schooling and private schooling — now subsidized by dozens of states, including Idaho — continue to grow.

The Pocatello-Chubbuck district lost 11 support units this year due to declining enrollment. Howell noted the lagging birth rate as a possible explanation. The City of Pocatello’s population has grown about 3.3% since 2020, but many newcomers aren’t sending their kids — if they have kids — to the public school district. 

Howell pointed to two areas with new housing development where “we don’t see many younger children coming into our school system.” Whether those households have children, and if so, whether they’re attending charter schools, private schools or learning at home, “I’m not sure,” Howell said. 

A year-to-year decline in support units doesn’t necessarily mean a district’s enrollment went down. The state’s funding formula uses other divisors, including age and ability. Secondary students generate more money while elementary students generate less. Special education students and alternative students also generate higher figures. So cohorts of students moving up grades or shifting demographics can alter a district’s support units.

In the Buhl district, enrollment remained steady the last two years. But on Thursday, district leaders announced that each school building must cut one teaching position next school year amid declining support units. 

In a joint statement, Buhl Superintendent Angie Opernico and school board members said the district will have two fewer support units next year, from 60 to 58. In addition, Buhl employs more teachers than the state funds, which is common among districts across Idaho. While Buhl has 69 teachers it only receives state funding for 59. 

“This reduction in funding is significant and, combined with increasing operational and food service costs, has resulted in the need for budget adjustments,” they said. 

Flat state funding amid rising costs

District leaders who are cutting staff also noted that state discretionary funding has remained stagnant for two consecutive years. Districts spend this money on utilities, supplies, maintenance, technology, fuel and other operations costs, along with teacher and staff salaries that the state doesn’t cover.

EdNews previously reported that flat discretionary funding would effectively be a budget cut as inflation drives up costs. Now, districts are cutting positions to fill gaps.

“While funding has remained the same, the cost of goods, services, utilities, insurance, food service, and daily operations continues to increase,” Buhl leaders said Thursday when they announced staffing cuts. “As operational costs rise, fewer discretionary dollars are available to support additional staffing.”

The state also hasn’t addressed the rising costs of special education. While lawmakers this year approved state superintendent Debbie Critchfield’s proposal for a $5 million high-needs fund, it’s well short of the up to $100 million gap between local expenses and state and federal dollars. 

“That’s better than nothing,” Howell said. “But when you’re $80-$100 million short … I would really appreciate it if they look at that more closely.”

Critchfield’s spokeswoman said Thursday that her office will continue to push for an updated school funding formula that reflects the growing number of students who need additional resources. 

“While districts and charters are expected to operate within current funding distributions, the existing formula itself does not always adequately support those demands,” said Andrea Dearden, communications director for the Idaho Department of Education. “What Idaho schools need is a modernized funding formula that better reflects current realities and addresses longstanding unmet needs.”

Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on May 29, 2026