TITLE 33

EDUCATION

CHAPTER 3

SCHOOL DISTRICTS

33-320.  STRATEGIC PERFORMANCE PLANS AND TRAINING. (1) Each school district and public charter school in Idaho shall develop and submit to the state department of education a strategic performance plan that has a continuous focus on innovating and improving:

(a)  Student academic proficiency;

(b)  Student academic growth;

(c)  College and career readiness at the high school level;

(d)  Outcomes of at-risk and economically disadvantaged students as defined in section 33-1001, Idaho Code; and

(e)  Local school board performance and stewardship of monitoring student performance, including compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and any terms of a public charter school’s performance certificate.

(2)  The local governing board and the school district superintendent or charter administrator shall collaborate to develop the strategic performance plan by coordinating outreach to students, parents, educators, local industry partners, and the business community, as appropriate.

(3)  The strategic performance plan shall:

(a)  Set clear and measurable goals for student outcomes and postsecondary achievements, including key indicators for monitoring performance, and consider student growth and proficiency goals established by the state board of education;

(b)  Include strategies based on evidence-based research to meet each goal;

(c)  Be data-driven and include student outcomes and growth data in literacy, math, graduation rates, achievement of individual postsecondary goals, and any other metric required by the state board of education;

(d)  Include a clearly developed and articulated vision and mission;

(e)  Outline a plan for the local governing board’s continued learning regarding school board and leadership development in monitoring student performance;

(f)  Utilize a template developed by the state department of education or submit required data points in a manner consistent with the state template; and

(g)  At the local governing board’s direction, include other areas of strategic performance that may be necessary to achieve other goals of the school district or public charter school.

(4)  A school district or public charter school may apply to use alternative student success measures if it demonstrates that a combined twenty-five percent (25%) or greater of its students include special education students, homeless students, economically disadvantaged students, students enrolled in an alternative high school, or English language learners.

(5)  Beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, the local governing board shall adopt and submit its strategic performance plan to the state department of education no later than October 1 of each year. In each subsequent year, the strategic plan shall include an annual progress report on all established goals. The plan shall cover a period of no less than four (4) years, including the fiscal year in which the plan is submitted, and shall be updated annually each summer.

(6)  The state board of education shall adopt a matrix to be used by the state department of education to evaluate a school district’s or public charter school’s progress toward the student-outcome goals in its strategic performance plan. The matrix shall give determinative weight to locally approved goals and alternative success measures. The matrix shall be adopted no later than September 1, 2026.

(7)  For the purposes of this section, "progress" means measurable improvement toward goals identified in a school district’s or public charter school’s strategic performance plan. Demonstration of progress may include but is not limited to student success measures, baselines, benchmarks, and implementation evidence selected by the school district or public charter school. Evidence of progress may include but is not limited to:

(a)  Year-over-year improvement in student academic growth, proficiency, graduation rates, or postsecondary readiness, as applicable;

(b)  Measurable improvement among identified student subgroups, including at-risk students and economically disadvantaged students;

(c)  Implementation of evidence-based strategies identified in the strategic performance plan, including documented changes to curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional development, or resource allocation; and

(d)  Demonstrated improvement toward interim benchmarks or milestones established in the strategic performance plan, provided that long-term outcome targets may not have been fully achieved yet.

(8)(a)  The local governing board shall, at least quarterly, review, discuss, and approve progress reports on two (2) or more key areas of the strategic performance plan at a regular or special board meeting.

(b)  The state department of education shall evaluate the progress reports to:

(i)   Identify high-performing school districts and public charter schools and determine best practices to incorporate into statewide professional development training; and

(ii)  Identify school districts and public charter schools that are not demonstrating improved student performance.

(9)  During an annual evaluation of progress reports, the state department of education shall recognize the top ten percent (10%) of school districts and public charter schools that meet or exceed the goals of the respective strategic performance plans as "schools or districts of educational excellence."

(10) Flexibility may be granted within the accountability framework for school districts and public charter schools that demonstrate sustained high levels of academic achievement. For such districts or charters, accountability determinations may include but are not limited to multi-year performance trends and overall performance relative to established goals, recognizing that annual growth may not be statistically significant when achievement levels are consistently high.

(11) If during its annual evaluation of progress reports the state department of education finds that a school district or public charter school has not demonstrated progress in achieving a majority of the goals identified in its strategic performance plan, the superintendent of public instruction shall:

(a)  Support the local governing board and school district superintendent or charter administrator in reassessing and adjusting, if necessary, the plan’s strategies while focusing on improved student performance;

(b)  Support the local governing board and school district superintendent or charter administrator in reviewing school district or public charter school performance, including in the areas of local budget, curricula, and professional development, to identify areas hindering student performance;

(c)  Offer recommendations to the local governing board and school district superintendent or charter administrator intended to improve the areas hindering student performance; and

(d)  Provide a list of high-performing school districts and public charter schools of similar size and student demographics to offer opportunities for mentorship in areas of evidence-based practices, peer supports, or locally implemented strategies from high-performing school districts or public charter schools that may assist in the development of revised goals or strategies for improvement.

(12) If the state department of education finds that the school district or public charter school has not demonstrated progress in achieving a majority of the goals identified in its strategic performance plan after two (2) consecutive annual evaluations of progress reports, the superintendent of public instruction shall:

(a)  Support the local governing board and school district superintendent or charter administrator as required in subsection (11)(a) of this section;

(b)  Direct the state department of education to approve ISAT remediation funds, professional development and literacy budgets, professional development plans, and curricular materials that are in alignment with the school district’s or public charter school’s student performance goals; and

(c)  Assist the local governing board and school district superintendent or charter administrator with formal training in areas directly related to the deficiencies in meeting strategic performance plan goals.

(13) If the state department of education finds that a school district or public charter school has not demonstrated progress in achieving a majority of the goals identified in its strategic performance plan after three (3) consecutive annual reviews of progress reports, the superintendent of public instruction shall:

(a)  Support the local governing board and school district superintendent or charter administrator as required in subsection (11)(a) and (b) of this section; and

(b)  Direct the state department of education to conduct a comprehensive review of school district and public charter school operations, including a review of instructional calendars. The state department of education shall have final approval of instructional calendars for the next school year.

(14) Regarding a public charter school’s performance, the superintendent of public instruction shall consult with the charter school’s authorizer in addition to the local governing board.

(15) Upon request, the superintendent of public instruction shall present an annual report to the house of representatives and senate education committees regarding school districts and public charter schools with high performance based on the respective strategic performance plans adopted pursuant to this section.

(16) The strategic performance plan provided for in this section shall be made available to the public and posted on the school district or public charter school website.

(17) Of the moneys appropriated in the public school educational support program, up to six thousand six hundred dollars ($6,600) shall be distributed to each school district and public charter school to be expended for school board and leadership development training. Funds utilized for administrator mentorships shall be capped at twenty-five percent (25%) of such distribution. Funds shall be distributed on a reimbursement basis based on a process prescribed by the superintendent of public instruction. To qualify for reimbursement, training shall cover strategic performance planning, finance, ethics, governance, superintendent evaluations, and public charter administrator evaluations.

(18) A public charter school may use its performance certificate criteria and framework toward fulfilling the requirements provided in subsection (1) of this section.

(19) The state department of education is authorized to withhold a portion of funds for any school district or public charter school that does not submit its strategic performance plan by the date required in this section. The amount of withheld funds shall be proportional to the administrative burden and state resources expended due to the noncompliance. The withheld funds shall be returned to the school district or public charter school upon the submission of the outstanding strategic performance plan.

(20) Any reporting requirements for school districts and public charter schools as of July 1, 2026, that are not federally mandated, necessary for public school finance purposes, or related to the professional standards commission shall be eliminated.

History:

[33-320, added 2026, ch. 177, sec. 2, p. 816.]