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Read. Follow. Verify.Idaho Legislature Revises Career Ladder Salary Rules and Professional Endorsement Requirements for Educators
Last action · March 30, 2026: Reported Signed by Governor on March 26, 2026 Session Law Chapter 173 Effective: 07/01/2026
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What This Bill Does
Public school teachers and pupil service staff are required to follow updated placement rules, salary allocation formulas, and performance criteria for s. School districts receive revised state funding allocations for staff based on industry experience, educational degrees, and leadership roles.
Determines public school salary schedules, state education funding allocations, and criteria for instructional and pupil service staff starting July 1, 2026.
- Idaho's public school educator career ladder system determines minimum salary allocations and salary growth rungs based on experience, education, and performance evaluations. context
- Professional and advanced professional endorsements in Idaho require meeting specific multi-year performance criteria, continuing education, and professional development plans. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Instructional staff
Subject to updated career ladder placement rules, compensation rung movement criteria, salary allocations, and professional endorsement requirements.
Pupil service staff
Subject to revised experience calculations, professional endorsement criteria, and salary allocation rungs.
Career technical education instructional staff
Subject to new placement guidelines based on industry experience and additional salary allocations.
School districts and public charter schools
Required to submit annual evaluation and performance data to the state and provide written recommendations for staff professional endorsements.
Key Facts
- Instructional and pupil service staff in their first year holding an Idaho certificate are placed in the first cell of the residency compensation rung and move one cell annually for up to three years.
- Career technical education instructional staff holding an occupational specialist certificate receive placement adjustments based on their years of closely related industry experience.
- Staff on the professional compensation rung with four years of experience move one cell unless they fail to meet performance criteria for three of the previous four years.
- School districts receive an additional allocation of $3,000 per fiscal year for career technical education instructional staff holding an occupational specialist certificate.
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- Additional education allocations provide $2,000 per fiscal year for staff with a baccalaureate degree and 24 or more credits, and $3,500 per fiscal year for staff with a master's degree.
- Eligibility for an Idaho professional endorsement requires at least three years of certified employment or an approved interim certificate, meeting performance criteria, a written recommendation, and an individualized professional learning plan.
- Eligibility for an advanced professional endorsement requires serving in an additional building or district leadership role during three of the previous five years.
- The State Board of Education conducts an annual review of a sample of administrator evaluations to verify fidelity to the state framework for teaching evaluation prior to November 1 of each year.
- Individually identifiable performance evaluation ratings submitted to the state remain part of the employee's personnel record and are exempt from public disclosure under section 74-106, Idaho Code.
- The act declares an emergency and takes full force and effect on July 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does industry experience affect the placement of new career technical education instructors?
What additional education allocations are available for teachers with advanced degrees?
What leadership requirements apply to Idaho advanced professional endorsements?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
16 actions- Mar 30, 2026EnrolledReported Signed by Governor on March 26, 2026 Session Law Chapter 173 Effective: 07/01/2026
- Mar 26, 2026Delivered to Governor at 12:58 p.m. on March 26, 2026
- Mar 26, 2026Returned Signed by the President; Ordered Transmitted to Governor
- Mar 25, 2026Signed by President; returned to House
- Mar 25, 2026Received from the House enrolled/signed by Speaker
- Mar 25, 2026Reported Enrolled; Signed by Speaker; Transmitted to Senate
Show 10 earlier actions
- Mar 24, 2026FloorReturned from Senate Passed; to JRA for Enrolling
- Mar 24, 2026FloorRead third time in full – PASSED - 18-14-3 AYES – Bernt, Burtenshaw, Cook, Den Hartog, Foreman, Guthrie, Harris, Keyser, Lent, Rabe, Ricks, Ruchti, Semmelroth, Taylor, VanOrden, Ward-Engelking, Wintrow, Woodward NAYS – Adams, Carlson, Galloway, Grow, Hart, Kohl, Lakey, Lenney, Nichols, Okuniewicz, Shippy, Toews, Zito, Zuiderveld Absent and excused – Anthon, Bjerke(Bjerke), Blaylock Floor Sponsor - Lent Title apvd - to House
- Mar 19, 2026Read second time; filed for Third Reading
- Mar 18, 2026Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation; Filed for second reading
- Mar 11, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, read first time; referred to: Education
- Mar 11, 2026FloorReceived from the House passed; filed for first reading
- Mar 10, 2026FloorRules Suspended: Ayes 64 Nays 0 Abs/Excd 6, read in full as required – PASSED - 43-25-2 AYES – Berch, Bingham, Boyle, Cannon, Cheatum, Church, Cornilles, Dygert, Egbert, Ehardt, Erickson(Larsen), Fuhriman, Furniss, Galaviz, Gannon, Garner, Green, Hall(Stone), Handy, Hawkins, Haws, Healey, Manwaring, Mathias, McCann, Mendive, Mickelsen, Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Nelsen, Petzke, Pickett, Pohanka, Raybould, Raymond, Rubel, Sauter, Shirts, Vander Woude, Veile, Weber, Mr. Speaker NAYS – Alfieri, Barbieri, Beiswenger, Bruce, Burgoyne, Cayler, Crane(12), Crane(13), Ehlers, Harris, Hill, Hostetler, Leavitt, Marmon, Palmer, Price, Rasor, Redman, Scott, Shepherd, Skaug, Tanner(13), Tanner(14), Thompson, Wisniewski Absent – Holtzclaw, Wheeler Floor Sponsors - Dygert & Galaviz Title apvd - to Senate
- Mar 10, 2026Read second time; Filed for Third Reading
- Mar 9, 2026Reported Printed; Filed for Second Reading
- Mar 9, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Structured Industry Experience Integration
The statute establishes clear, tiered equivalency tables allowing career technical education and pupil service staff to receive career ladder placement credit directly tied to years of non-educational industry experience.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.idaho.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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