Rating: –1

Bill Summary:
House Bill 475 appropriates $600,000 from the state’s General Fund to the Public Schools Educational Support Program’s Division of Central Services for fiscal year 2026. These funds are designated for a two-year pilot program to test transportation route optimization software in participating public school districts and charter schools. The program requires districts to collect and report data on costs, savings, and overall effectiveness. The State Department of Education must submit two reports to the Legislature: one by December 15, 2025, and another during the 2027 legislative budget session. The bill includes an emergency clause for immediate implementation beginning July 1, 2025.

Reason for Rating:
Although framed as a temporary efficiency measure, this bill initiates a state-funded pilot program using new General Fund dollars to subsidize local school transportation systems—functions that should be controlled and financed locally. The use of taxpayer money for speculative software implementation, without guaranteed outcomes or offsets, represents an expansion of state involvement in local district operations. Furthermore, the bill’s reliance on centralized reporting and oversight adds administrative complexity and potential precedent for future unfunded mandates. By increasing state education spending without structural reform or decentralization, the bill conflicts with the Idaho Republican Party Platform’s principles of limited government and local control.