IdahoIdaho law sets career teaching certificate requirements
Starting July 1, 2026, Idaho's education board must authorize career teaching certificates for applicants who meet specified experience, credential, background check, and training requirements.
What it does
People seeking to teach career-related subjects must submit to a criminal history check, meet one of several experience or credential routes, and complete approved educator training.
The division must list secondary career programs that can be taught in person, online, or both, and develop a funding method for each delivery type. Online funding is capped at the cost of traditional delivery.
Career technical credits must transfer at full value into a like program at an Idaho public college or university and count toward specific course requirements. The division may offer incentives for colleges to align similar programs.
Argument forPeople with related work experience or industry credentials could qualify to teach career subjects without holding a related bachelor's degree.
Argument againstThe experience, credential, background check, and training requirements could keep some skilled workers from qualifying to teach career subjects.
More detail
The state board must authorize career technical teaching certificates for people who meet the listed requirements. These requirements apply to people seeking to teach career-related subjects. Applicants must submit to a criminal history check and meet one of three routes: a related industry certification, 6,000 hours of related work experience, or a related bachelor's degree and 2,000 hours of related work experience. Applicants must also complete educator training or courses approved by the career technical education division. The law takes effect July 1, 2026.
The career technical education division must list eligible secondary pathways and develop a funding method for each way they are delivered. The list covers secondary career technical education pathways. Listed pathways may be taught in person, entirely online, or through a mix of both. An entirely online pathway is presumed to receive the same funding as a traditional pathway, but actual funding depends on approved costs and cannot exceed the cost of traditional delivery. The law takes effect July 1, 2026.
Credits earned in a career technical program must transfer at full credit value to an Idaho public college or university offering a like program. This applies to career technical program credits and like programs at Idaho public colleges and universities. The credits must satisfy specific course requirements in the like program. The division may offer incentives to public colleges and universities that align foundational courses in the same or substantially similar programs. The law takes effect July 1, 2026.
Where do you stand?
Choose your position
Tell your reps
Take a position to see your representatives and ways to contact them.
Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed 1st Chamber
- Passed 2nd Chamber
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Apr 1Reported Signed by Governor Brad Little on March 31, 2026 Session Law Chapter 243 Effective: 07/01/2026Became Law
- Mar 30Delivered to Governor at 12:31 p.m. on March 30, 2026To Governor
- Mar 30Returned Signed by the President; Ordered Transmitted to GovernorMinor
- Mar 30Signed by President; returned to HouseMajor
- Mar 30Received from the House enrolled/signed by SpeakerMajor
- Mar 27Reported Enrolled; Signed by Speaker; Transmitted to SenateMajor
- Mar 26Returned from Senate Passed; to JRA for EnrollingMinor
- Vote recorded Read third time in full –. Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 26Read third time in full – PASSED - 34-0-1AYES – Adams, Anthon, Bernt, Bjerke(Bjerke), Blaylock, Burtenshaw, Carlson, Cook, Den Hartog, Foreman, Galloway, Grow, Guthrie, Harris, Hart, Keyser, Kohl, Lakey, Lenney, Lent, Nichols, Okuniewicz, Rabe, Ricks, Ruchti, Shippy, Taylor, Toews, VanOrden, Ward-Engelking, Wintrow, Woodward, Zito, ZuiderveldNAYS – NoneAbsent and excused – SemmelrothFloor Sponsor - CarlsonTitle apvd - to HousePassed 2nd Chamber
- Mar 23Read second time; filed for Third ReadingMinor
- Mar 20Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation; Filed for second readingMinor
- Mar 17Introduced, read first time; referred to: EducationMinor
- Mar 17Received from the House passed; filed for first reading
- Mar 16Rules Suspended: Ayes 69 Nays 0 Abs/Excd 1, read in full as required – PASSED - 69-0-1AYES – Alfieri, Barbieri, Beiswenger, Berch, Bingham, Boyle, Bruce, Burgoyne, Cannon, Cayler, Cheatum, Church, Cornilles, Crane(12), Crane(13), Dygert, Egbert, Ehardt, Ehlers, Erickson, Fuhriman, Furniss, Galaviz, Gannon, Garner, Green, Hall(Stone), Handy, Harris, Hawkins, Healey, Hill, Holtzclaw, Hostetler, Leavitt, Manwaring, Marmon, Mathias, McCann, Mendive, Mickelsen, Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Nelsen, Palmer, Petzke, Pickett, Pohanka, Price, Rasor, Raybould, Raymond, Redman, Rubel, Sauter, Scott, Shepherd, Shirts, Skaug(Chadwick), Tanner(13), Tanner(14), Thompson, Vander Woude, Veile, Weber, Wheeler, Wisniewski, Mr. SpeakerNAYS – NoneAbsent – HawsFloor Sponsor - HarrisTitle apvd - to SenatePassed 1st Chamber
- Vote recorded Rules Suspended: Ayes 69 Nays 0 Abs/Excd 1, read in full as required –. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 16Read second time; Filed for Third ReadingMinor
- Mar 13Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation, Filed for Second ReadingMinor
- Mar 6Reported Printed and Referred to Education
- Mar 5Introduced, read first time, referred to JRA for PrintingIntroduced
Education