Tom Luna
Public schools chief Tom Luna says there are concerns Idaho may not qualify for education money under a new federal law aimed at helping states spare thousands of teaching jobs.
The emergency spending bill signed into law Tuesday will provide $10 billion to help states cover funding for an estimated 160,000 jobs in K-12 public schools and another $16 billion for Medicaid costs.
Idaho is expected to receive about $51 million to hire, rehire and retain teachers.
Luna says other states have questions about the money distributed under the law, which requires states to show they’ve maintained a certain level of funding at both the public school and higher education level.
While there are concerns Idaho does not meet the higher education funding criteria, Luna said the U.S. Department of Education has also promised to work with the state to make sure it qualifies for the money. (AP)
