Lawmakers decided Friday that state funding should go to Idaho school districts that choose to build their own wireless networks rather than sign on to the state's controversial, multi-million dollar contract for Wi-Fi services for high schools.

"We're excited because this is how we think the funding should go for the Wi-Fi set-up," said Wendell Wardell, chief operating officer for the Coeur d'Alene School District. "This is good for the district and good for the taxpayers."

The Legislature's joint budget committee agreed Friday, by a 15-5 vote, to reimburse districts that opt out of the state contract with $21 per year per high school student. Other districts that have joined the contract could be able to withdraw from it and receive state funds, if they meet certain conditions.

Wardell said Coeur d'Alene public schools will likely receive $64,000 to $66,000 per year under the plan.

School officials in Coeur d'Alene never opted-in to the wireless technology contract awarded last year by Idaho public schools chief Tom Luna to Nashville-based Education Networks of America. In Coeur d'Alene, they elected instead to have a local contractor install the district's wireless network and equipment. The funding for the district's wireless technology in all district schools is now coming from local tax dollars through a $32.7 million construction bond approved by voters in 2012.

Wardell said the new state funds will be used to maintain the district's wireless technology and service.

Districts that opt out of the state contract will have to maintain the same level of wireless service with the same standards that are called for in the ENA contract.

The statewide Wi-Fi contract sparked controversy last year when Luna awarded it to ENA. Critics said the company was chosen because it made financial contributions to election campaigns for Luna and several state lawmakers. Others were critical because the contract potentially provides funding of as much as $33 million to an outside vendor, without prior legislative approval.

The contract is for five years at $2.1 million per year, with options to renew two more times at five-year intervals. It includes a non-appropriations clause, which means the Legislature has to approve the appropriation each year. If it doesn't, the contract becomes null and void.

Sen. John Goedde, R-Coeur d'Alene, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, began pushing earlier in this legislative session for the Wi-Fi funds to go to the school districts instead of ENA. Although Goedde wasn't a co-author of the legislative language accompanying the spending item, Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, wrote in an email that Goedde had "significant input," in the development of the winning intent language.

Cameron, co-chair of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, stressed that the post-election 2015 Legislature could revisit the issue.

"At the end, we will be able to, next year, make a decision as to how to proceed," Cameron said, "as to whether to move forward, whether to continue with the (ENA) contract, whether to do something completely different."

Press correspondent Dave Goins contributed to this report.