BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Democrats will caucus across the state Thursday to select their nominee for the White House, giving President Joe Biden more delegates after he already clinched his party’s 2024 nomination.
Caucusgoers also will elect delegates pledged to the nominee for the state convention, which will be held on June 22.
The caucus will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. local time — the state is divided between the Pacific and Mountain time zones — and will be structured a bit differently than previous Democratic caucuses. Instead of listening to speeches and moving to various parts of the room to show their support for a candidate, voters will be given ballots to fill out their choices.
Only registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters can participate in the Democratic caucus. Unaffiliated voters must first sign a pledge saying that they are participating as Democrats and that they have not participated in any other presidential nomination contest this year. Voters who are 17 years old are allowed to caucus as long as they will turn 18 before the general election on Nov. 5.
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That’s different from Idaho’s Republican caucus, held earlier this year: The Republican caucus allowed only registered Republicans to vote, and they had to be at least 18 at the time of the caucus. Former President Donald Trump won all of Idaho’s 32 GOP delegates at the March 2 event.
The presidential caucus winner will face a steep hill to climb for Idaho’s general election. The Republican presidential candidate has won the deep-red state in every election since 1968.
Democrats in Idaho utilized caucuses for years but switched the presidential contest to a primary for 2020. Biden won with about 49% of the vote, compared with roughly 42% that went to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Both the Republican and the Democratic parties had to caucus this year, however, after state lawmakers inadvertently scrapped the state’s primaries during the 2023 legislative session. The error happened when lawmakers were trying to change the date of the state’s primary from March to May — but the new date wasn’t included in the bill.
By next year, Idaho’s closed presidential contests could become a thing of the past. A voter initiative that would open the state primaries and switch the state to a ranked-choice voting system is expected to be on the general election ballot this fall.
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on April 22, 2026
IDAHO — Idaho spends the least in the country per student in K-12 public schools, according to newly released data from the National Center for Educational Statistics.
The Gem State spent $11,167 per pupil during the 2024 fiscal year, the most recent data available from NCES.
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That makes Idaho last in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nationwide, schools spent on average $17,499 per child.
The closest state to Idaho is Utah, which spent $11,299. After that, the per-pupil expenditure jumps up by about $1,000.
In 2022 and 2023, Idaho ranked second-to-last, behind Utah, in per-pupil spending. In 2021, Idaho ranked last. Idaho has occupied a similar bottom-of-the-pile spot for more than a decade.
But even in Idaho, there’s a huge range in the amount spent per child. For example, in Avery, one of the state’s smallest K-8 school districts, about $91,030 was spent per student in 2025, the most in the state. Three Creek, Prairie and Pleasant Valley Elementary school districts — also small — round out the top four.
Some large districts spend more than the state average. Boise spent $14,639 per student in fiscal year 2025. The state’s largest district West Ada spent $8,875, so well under the state average.
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The lowest per student spending in the state is often from hybrid or virtual schools. Idaho Home Learning spent $6,408 last year. The statewide average for 2025 was $13,020.
While Idaho’s statewide average has gone up since 2024, it’s likely that Idaho will continue to fall at the bottom nationally, if the last decade of data is any indicator.
Here’s the data for Idaho’s neighboring states:
Wyoming $20,542
Washington $18,639
Oregon $18,052
Nevada $14,247
Montana $14,202
Utah 11,299
Idaho $11,167
Ed News Data Analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this story.
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GENESSE – The Avista planned power outage for Friday, April 24 in Genesee has been cancelled and rescheduled due to weather. Approximately 337 Avista electric customers in Genesee will experience a planned power outage on Tuesday, April 28. The planned outage will start at 8:00 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m.
All affected customers will be notified in advance. Traffic control will be in place from Laurel Street north of Chestnut Street.
During this time, Avista crews will be replacing aging infrastructure, including power poles and equipment, in the area. These updates are part of Avista’s ongoing efforts to enhance the safety and reliability of its infrastructure.
