Idaho Politics — "We Weren't Spending This on Ice Cream": Idaho State Board of Education's Marie Antoinette Moment After Wasting $15 Million. Education bureaucrats ignored direct orders from lawmakers, burned through millions in federal funds, delivered nothing, and then told taxpayers to be grateful the waste wasn't worse. By Idaho Senator Brian Lenney (11/07/25)

brianlenney.substack.co…

Just when we thought corruption and waste in Idaho’s education system couldn’t get more ridiculous, education bureaucrats put whipped cream and a cherry on top.

Summary (Grok ai, edited)

Senator Lenney details the history and failures of Idaho System for Educational Excellence (ISEE) education database, from its inception to recent mismanagement, resulting in wasted funds and unmet goals.

ISEE Database Origins and Early Issues

• Created in 2010 to track data from over 700 schools and more than 300,000 students, including students, teachers, test scores, and funding, for real-time performance insights.

• By 2015, legislative auditors reported ISEE failed to meet its goals and functioned mainly for federal paperwork.

2022 Update Commitment In 2022, the Governor, State Board, and Legislature allocated millions in federal funds to modernize ISEE, with an original plan costing $18.9 million. After a year spent on a new procurement process that failed, modernization was abandoned.

2024-25 Budget Directives The Legislature instructed the Idaho State Education Board to use federal COVID funds exclusively for ISEE upgrades.

Legislative orders: “spend this federal COVID money on ISEE. That’s it. Nothing else.” Crystal clear instructions a kindergartner could follow.

ED NOTE
What in the name of pandemic preparedness does an ISEE upgrade have to do with the COVID “plague?” Just askin’ for an irate friend.

Unauthorized State Board Spending and Delays

• Spent $1.8 million on non-ISEE items, including a dyslexia handbook, STEM center, and math program.

• Spent $6.2 million rushing to meet federal deadlines missed due to the prior year's delays.

• Warnings about issues did not reach lawmakers. For example, Representative Wendy Horman was unaware of a hired contractor until informed by an education publication writer.

Federal Funding Loss and Project Halt

• March 2025: Federal government withdrew $8.5 million in funding due to non-delivery.

• Two months later: Project was paused, and new executive director Jennifer White took over.

Recent Confession

• State Board admitted the unauthorized $1.8 million spending to lawmakers.

• White stated: “We weren’t spending this on ice cream. That being said, this won’t happen again.” 🛑🍨

Current Impacts

• Schools remain with a 2010-era database lacking useful performance data.

• Districts, including West Ada, spend 1,500 hours annually uploading data.

• Over $15 million spent total, with no completion plan; any restart would take at least two years and unknown additional funds.

Sen. Lenney’s Conclusion

Idaho parents deserve better.

Idaho taxpayers deserve better.

And the next time education bureaucrats come asking for more funding (which will be in a few months, the largest education budget EVER - over $3 BILLION last I saw), remember this disaster.

Remember the $15 million that vanished with nothing to show for it.

Remember the lawmakers who were kept in the dark.

Remember the “it wasn’t ice cream” defense.

Then ask yourself: do these people deserve another blank check?

This is why we fight for school choice. This is why we push back when Big Education demands more control and more funding. This is why we insist on transparency and accountability. Because when you peel back the curtain, this is what you find.

Every single time. — Sen. Brian Lenney

Related:

• ISEE Website: tinyurl.com/4cs4nkr8

• American School Counselors Association in Idaho Schools. By Idaho Freedom Foundation Center for American Education: tinyurl.com/436nv387