K-12 Public Classified Employees, 2022

Although the responsibilities of classified employees have changed over the last 30 years, the state’s apportionment formula has remained the same. We found the salary-based apportionment formula covered 60 percent of wages for qualifying classified employees. Nearly 80 percent of school districts reported relying on property tax levies to cover their costs. The Governor’s Office recommended $97.4 million to close the gap.

K-12 Public School Buildings, 2022

We found that school districts were struggling to keep up with routine maintenance, leading to an estimated maintenance backlog of over $800 million. Charter schools and districts struggled to acquire new buildings to keep up with growth or to replace old buildings. A legislative working group was formed in 2022 to look at potential solutions.

Volunteer Providers of Emergency Medical Services, 2021

We found that Idaho faces EMS funding and staffing challenges that could affect patient care, especially in rural communities. The Legislature amended statute to allow the EMS grant to be used for training personnel when agencies can demonstrate high need and insufficient resources. It also appropriated $2.5 million in one-time federal funding for rural ambulances and allowed local governments to seek a federal reimbursement closer to actual costs.

State’s Response to Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias, 2020

To address our findings of limited coordination and accountability, the Department of Health and Welfare assigned staff to oversee Idaho’s response to dementia. The Legislature appropriated funding for this oversight and to ensure that Medicaid reimbursement better accounts for the time it takes to care for people with dementia in assisted living facilities. It also approved $720,000 for the Commission on Aging to help caregivers access services.

Southwest Idaho Treatment Center, 2019

Our report about SWITC’s organizational challenges and traumatic events led to system-wide changes to the facility’s treatment model. The Legislature transitioned the facility to a home-based model and appropriated $13.15 million for facility updates to support the updated model.

Residential Care, 2018

We found that a dysfunctional work environment in the nursing home inspection team lead to mistrust and fear among providers. High turnover, poor communication, and inadequate training undermined the consistency of inspections. Our 2020 follow-up found the Department of Health and Welfare made progress on 9 of our 11 recommendations.

Child Welfare System, 2017

We found that gaps in placement services, program capacity, organizational culture, and system oversight prevented the child welfare system from performing well. Three subsequent evaluations and multiple system changes resulted in better accountability structures from a legislative review panel and citizen review panels. More resources were allocated for social workers, foster parents, and guardians ad litem programs.

Risk of Bias in Administrative Hearings, 2016

We found that there is a risk of perceived or real bias in administrative hearings, and agencies took different approaches to mitigating this risk. In 2022, the Legislature established an independent office of Administrative Hearings in accordance with our 2016 recommendations and those of the Administrative Hearing Officer Interim Committee.