Managing Endowment Lands

Benefitting K-12 Education

As your State Controller, Brandon Woolf serves on the State of Idaho’s Board of Land Commissioners along with the Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Superintendent of Public Instruction. Together, they are responsible for overseeing a trust that includes the management of 2.4 million acres of Endowment Land – lands which were granted to Idaho at statehood for the sole benefit of institutions like our public schools.

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Article IX Section 8 of the Idaho Constitution requires the Land Board to manage these lands for “the maximum long-term financial return to the institution to which granted.” This constitutional principle has been upheld by the courts in numerous cases and means that endowment lands exist solely to provide money for the beneficiary institutions.

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"When I took my oath of office to serve as your State Controller, I made a solemn promise to uphold the constitution and laws of our state and nation. By extension, I also promised to serve on the Land Board with undivided loyalty for the beneficiaries of the endowments, like our public schools, colleges, universities, and veteran's homes, among others. This means I won’t put any individuals or special interests ahead of the endowment beneficiaries when I vote as a Land Board member. I will always follow our constitution and laws." -Brandon Woolf.