I.A. – Policy Making Authority – 08-2026

1. Purpose

This policy outlines the process for maintaining and amending the State Board of Education’s Governing Policies.

2. Definitions

1. Institutions: Boise State University, Idaho State University, Lewis-Clark State College, and University of Idaho.
2. Agency: The Office of the State Board of Education and the agencies under the governance of the Board.
3. Agency under the governance of the Board: The State Department of Education, the Division of Career Technical Education, the Public Charter School Commission, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, and Idaho Public Television.
4. Policy officer / director: The staff member within the Office of the State Board of Education who has oversight of the Board Policy Manual.

3. Oversight

The State Board of Education and the Board of Regents of the University of Idaho (hereinafter referred to as the Board) expects all institutions and its agencies to follow the policies outlined herein.

North Idaho College, College of Eastern Idaho, College of Southern Idaho and College of Western Idaho operate in accordance with policies established by their respective boards of trustees, except for state appropriations requests and other matters governed by the State Board of Education. For the purposes of these governing policies and procedures, North Idaho College, College of Eastern Idaho, College of Southern Idaho and the College of Western Idaho are excluded from coverage unless included by reference.

4. Powers and Duties

The Board, as the designated policy-making body for the institutions and agencies, has all of the powers and duties established by the Constitution of the State of Idaho and the statutes appearing at Title 33 et seq. of the Idaho Code, as may be amended. Although the Board is responsible for ensuring that its policies and procedures are followed, it does not participate in the details of internal management of its institutions and agencies. That responsibility is hereby delegated to the respective agency administrators and institutional presidents. Members of the Board, as representatives of the State and its citizens, may exercise official authority only when the Board is in session or when they are acting on behalf of the Board pursuant to its direction.

5. Policy Decisions

The Board undertakes policy-making in areas including, but not limited to, the following:

• • Adoption of policies to ensure the effective internal management of the institutions or agencies, and to encourage the highest quality of service by Board employees.
  • Policies that provide detailed expectations regarding implementation of state law.
  • Review of and action on the goals and objectives, including the statements of role and mission, of each institution and agency.
  • Evaluation of the administration and execution of Board policies.
  • Approval or disapproval of other policy matters requiring action by the Board.

6. Conformance with State and Federal Law

All Board Governing Policies and Procedures and the internal policies and procedures of the institutions, agencies under the governance of the Board, and community colleges will comply with and be in conformance to applicable laws.

7. Adoption, Amendment, or Repeal of Board Policies

a. Executive Director Authorization for Policy Corrections

The executive director is authorized to make non-substantive corrections and amendments to Board Governing Policies as may be necessary in such areas as edits for clarity and uniformity, typographical errors, cross-references, terminology and formatting changes for consistency, and citations of state and federal statutes.

b. Board Policy Change Requests

The following entities and individuals may submit a Board policy change request to the policy officer / director of the Board:

• • Any member of the Board,
  • The executive director,
  • Any member of the Office of the State Board of Education (OSBE) leadership team,
  • Any agency administrator or institutional president,
  • Agency and institutional employees and students, through the agency administrator or institutional president,
  • An Idaho resident, other than those described above, through submission of a written request to the policy officer / director of the Board.

If the subject matter of the presentation concerns an institution, agency, or department of the Board, the policy officer / director will notify the executive director and the agency administrator or institutional president.

c. Management of the Board Policy Amendment Process

1. The Board policy officer / director shall receive all externally submitted Board policy change requests and partner with the executive director and/or deputy director to determine whether change requests are acted upon and the timing of such action.
2. The Board policy officer / director shall oversee and/or redirect all Board policy change requests. The amendment process shall be directed by the Board policy officer / director, the chief academic officer, or the chief financial officer, as appropriate.
3. Board policy change requests submitted by a Board member, institution, or agency under the governance of the Board shall be managed by OSBE, with considerable input from the individual or entity that submitted the request.

d. Board Policy Amendment Process

1. Board action on any proposal will not be taken earlier than the next regular or special meeting following Board approval for first reading.
2. To the extent feasible, for all substantive changes to the Board’s Governing Policies, OSBE will engage impacted institutional and agency stakeholders prior to the first reading of the proposed changes by the Board.
3. During the interim between the first reading and Board action, the proposed policy changes will be posted on the State Board of Education website to allow members of the public to submit comment.

8. Maintenance and Review of Governing Policies

OSBE shall maintain all Governing Policies and Procedures and make them accessible to the public on the State Board of Education website. Governing policies will be reviewed no less than every five years per a timeline established by the policy officer / director. The scheduled review of a policy may be adjusted if the policy is amended prior to its scheduled review.