Idaho state government salary
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This page describes the compensation, salaries, and benefits that Idaho's public employees receive from state and local government.
Information from 2005 about Idaho's state salaries is available here.
Elected officials salaries
| Office | '10 Salary | Current Official |
|---|---|---|
| Governor | $115,348[2] | Butch Otter |
| Lieutenant Governor | 30,400 | Brad Little |
| Secretary of State | $93,756 | Ben Ysursa |
| Attorney General | $103,984 | Lawrence Wasden |
| Treasurer | $93,756 | Ron G. Crane |
The salary of Idaho's governor ranks 39th among U.S. governors' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. governors is $128,735. The median salary earned by U.S. governors is $129,962.[3]
Legislators' salary
Idaho state legislators make $16,116/year per year.[4] Legislators also receive a per diem of $122/day for members establishing second residence in Boise; $49/day if no second residence is established and up to $25/day travel (V) set by Compensation Commission.[5]
Some legislators increase their pension payments by taking administrative positions after they serve, which converts their pension payments from the legislator payout to a full-time employee's payout.[6]
Judicial salaries
| Position | '09 Salary | Current Justice |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Justice | $121,006 | Daniel Eismann |
| Chief Justice | $119,506 | Roger Burdick |
| Associate Justice | $119,506 | Jim Jones |
| Associate Justice | $119,506 | Warren Jones |
| Associate Justice | $119,506 | Joel Horton |
The salary of Idaho's chief justice ranks 46th among U.S. chief justices' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. chief justices is $155,230. The median salary earned by U.S. chief justices is $151,284.[7]
The salary of Idaho's associate justices ranks 46th among U.S. associate justices' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. associate justices is $151,142. The median salary earned by U.S. associate justices is $145,984.[7]
State and local employees
The FY2012 state budget does not include raises for any state employees.[8]
According to 2008 Census data, the state of Idaho and local governments in the state employed a total of 102,779 people.[9] Of those employees, 71,643 were full-time employees receiving a net pay of $249,485,783 per month and 31,136 were part-time employees paid $23,808,761 per month.[9] More than 53% of those employees, or 55,339 employees, were in education or higher education.[9]
A Change in Employee Compensation and Benefits by the Idaho Department of Administration reported that public employees wages were usually behind market jobs, but that public employees received a much larger benefit package. The report recommended a 3 percent increase in public employee pay, merit-based, and a reduction in employee benefits. The plan would cost $34.2 million.[10]
Teacher Salaries
The state of Idaho provides funds to local school districts, which pays teachers their salaries. In March 2012 The Idaho Senate unanimously backed a major change the 2011 “Students Come First” school reform law that requires approximately $35 million in cuts each year in the teacher salary funds that the state sends out to school districts, to pay for the reform plan’s technology boosts and teacher merit-pay bonus program. The bill would eliminate all the cuts in teacher salary funds. The state still would be required to fund the technology boosts, including phasing in laptop computers for every high school student, and the merit-pay plan, but it wouldn’t be required to cut teacher salary funds to do it. [11]
The Idaho House wants to cut state income taxes by $35 million as opposed to restoring teachers’ salaries. [12]
| Beginning Teacher Salary | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| $31,581 | $48,638 |
State employee benefits
State employees receive many benefits.
Paid days off
Holidays Employees of the State of Idaho who work 20 hours who are expected to work for more than five months receive 11 paid vacation days in 2010[14]:
- New Years Day
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- President's Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Statehood Day
- Labor Day
- Columbus Day
- Veteran’s Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day
Vacation leave Employees who work 20 hours who are expected to work for more than five months earn vacation leave for every hour worked or paid (with the exception of paid compensatory leave). For example, employees earn vacation leave while on paid vacation or paid sick leave.[15] The rate of accrual depends on the employee's classification and hours of service; the accrual ranges from 0.04615 to 0.09615 of an hour earned for each hour worked.[15] The accrual limit also depends on employee classification and ranges from 192 hours to 336 hours.[15]
Sick leave Employees who work 20 hours who are expected to work for more than five months earn sick leave at the rate of .04615 hours per hour worked or paid.[16] There is not limit to accrual of sick leave.[16] Sick leave may only be used in cases of the employee’s actual illness or disability or other health reasons necessitating the employee’s absence from work or Employee Assistance Program (EAP) appointments. [16] An employee may also use sick leave to attend to a family member’s medical issues or death and funeral in the family.[16] Eligibility to use sick leave includes self, spouse, child, foster child, parent, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild, or the same relation by marriage.[16]
Other leave Employees are granted paid time off work for other reasons, including[17]
- Military Leave
- Jury Duty
- Red Cross disaster service volunteers
- Organ and Bone Marrow Donation
Insurance
An employee of a State department, agency or institution, working twenty hours or more per week, or eighty-four hours per month, and expected to work at least five months during any consecutive twelve month period, is eligible for insurance benefits.[18]
Eligible employees can enroll themselves and their eligible dependents for medical coverage, and have the choice of a Blue Cross of Idaho Traditional, PPO or High Deductible plan.[18] The plans include vision and dental coverage.[18]
State employees automatically receive basic life insurance for the employee, their spouses, and their unmarried dependent children, age 10 days to 25 years, and the plan also includes an Accidental Death & Dismemberment provision for employees only.[18] Supplemental life insurance is an option available to eligible employees.[18]
Flexible Spending Account Employees may elect how much you want to contribute to a Flesible Spending Account for the coming plan year. Your contributions are deducted from your paychecks on a pre-tax basis and go directly into the FSA of the employee's choice, either for medical expenses or dependent care expenses. Those expenses are then reimbursed from the pretax contributions to the account.[18]
Retirement
Enrollment in the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho Base Plan is automatic and both the employee and the employer contribute to the account.[19] Employer contributions are credited to the employee's personal account, while employer contributions are pooled in a trust to cover benefits.[19] The State says that the actual value of the employee's benefit exceeds the employee's contributions.[19]
Union contracts
The House State Affairs Committee approved SB 1006 and 1007, which would limit public labor agreements and limit money transfer that help union contractors get more work.
Senate Bill 1006 would prohibit political subdivision, which the Association of Building Contractors (ABC), an interest group behind the bill, says would stop governments from locking out non-union contractors.[20]
Senate Bill 1007 targets "money shifting", when union take money from other works in order to bid lower then competitors.
Additional reading
- Public employee salary
- See sample transparency legislation at the Sunshine Standard
External links
- Idaho state government employment opportunities
- Idaho Division of Human Resources, compensation and benefits
References
- ↑ The Council of States Governments The Book of States 2010 Table 4.11
- ↑ The Council of State Governments The Book of States 2010 Table 4.3
- ↑ ‘‘The Council of State Governments,’’ “The Book of the States: 2008”
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislators 2010 Legislator Compensation Data
- ↑ NCSL, 2012 Compensation Data, Accessed June 12, 2012
- ↑ Idaho Reporter, Lawmakers-turned-administrators receive extra benefits within state retirement system, Dec. 22, 2010
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 The National Center for State Courts, "Judicial Salary Resource Center" as of Jan. 1, 2010
- ↑ Idaho Division of Financial Management "Budget Summary"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 2008 Idaho Public Employment U.S. Census Data
- ↑ Idaho Reporter, Report says state workers should get pay raise, benefit cuts, Dec. 8, 2010
- ↑ Idaho Spokesman, Idaho Senate wants to cancel teacher salary cuts, March 1, 2012
- ↑ Idaho Statesman, On deck for the Idaho Legislature: teacher salaries vs. tax cuts, March 19,2012
- ↑ [2011-01-01T00%3A00%3A00Z%20TO%202012-01-01T00%3A00%3A00Z
- ↑ State Employee Benefits
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 [1]
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Sick Leave
- ↑ Special Leaves
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 Handbook Summary
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 PERSI Benefits at a Glance
- ↑ Idaho Reporter, House State Affairs approves two bills limiting union contracts, money, Feb. 16, 2011
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