Legislative budget-writers ended the first week of the 2025 session with a look ahead to Week Two.

And almost $12.9 billion in decisions.

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee is scheduled to vote next Friday on a series of so-called “maintenance” budgets. These budgets are designed to set a spending base for 2025-26, and give lawmakers more time to scrutinize new spending.

“We are trying to separate maintenance spending from growth spending,” said Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, JFAC’s House co-chair, during a presentation Friday morning.

The maintenance budget process got off to a fiery start in 2024.

Some lawmakers openly bristled at the new change. Moderate Republicans and Democrats on JFAC banded together to try to stop the change and force their colleagues to again consider new spending and base spending in the same bill. A day after the House narrowly approved the first of a series of “maintenance” budgets, House Republicans demoted Majority Leader Megan Blanksma, an opponent of the new process.

This year might not produce the same kind of pyrotechnics. Regardless, the 10 maintenance budget bills would account for the vast majority of state spending.

When state tax dollars, dedicated funds and federal dollars are thrown into the mix, next year’s maintenance budgets could total nearly $12.9 billion. Gov. Brad Little has proposed a $14.4 billion budget.

Two of the 10 maintenance budget bills go into education: One covers K-12 and a second funds higher education.

Next steps on pay raises

Before setting the maintenance budgets, JFAC is likely to take up pay raises for state employees and K-12 teachers, administrators and classified employees.

Little wants to put an additional 5% into pay for K-12 employees and state workers — but these would not be across-the-board raises.

A legislative committee Thursday recommended a $1.55-per-hour raise for most state workers, including college and university employees. Again, agency heads would have the authority to move money around — to recruit, retain and reward some employees. The $1.55-per-hour raises would carry a $95.8 million price tag, and are essentially in line with Little’s request.

The committee took no action on K-12 pay, and Little’s $83.5 million request.

On Friday morning, JFAC accepted the committee’s report on pay raises. That doesn’t mean JFAC has signed off the raises.

JFAC could take up the pay raise decisions Thursday, said Sen. C. Scott Grow, R-Eagle, the budget committee’s Senate co-chair.

What’s happening with the education committees?

Week One of the session came and went without a House or Senate education committee meeting.

However, the Senate Education Committee is scheduled to hold its first meeting Monday afternoon. One item on the agenda is Boise businessman Kurt Liebich’s appointment to another five-year term on the State Board of Education.

As of Friday morning, no House Education Committee meeting has been announced.

That doesn’t mean the House hasn’t taken up education issues. The House State Affairs Committee OK’d a resolution praising the Boise State University women’s volleyball team and calling on the NCAA and the Mountain West Conference to rescind its transgender athletics policies. The House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee printed a bill encouraging K-12 schools to set up interdisciplinary teams to address violence threats.

And a big education bill isn’t likely to land in House Education. On Monday, House Speaker Mike Moyle said he would route a $50 million private school tax credit bill through the House Revenue and Taxation Committee.