Ian Max Stevenson 01/06/2025
Hours before this year’s legislative session formally began, proponents of school vouchers had already embarked on their push for what is likely to be one of the most contested topics in Idaho over the coming months.
Before a crowd in Boise packed with lawmakers, the Mountain States Policy Center, a conservative think tank, held a pro-voucher event featuring former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey. The Republican led the southwestern state in 2022 when it launched the nation’s largest such program, which proponents call school choice.
Senate Majority Leader Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian, previously told the Idaho Statesman she expects the topic to be the most contented debate this year, and lawmakers are expected to debate competing proposals in the coming weeks.
At the end of the pro-voucher event, Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, announced a bill she is co-sponsoring with Den Hartog to offer $5,000 tax credits to students who don’t attend public schools. The proposal caps the program’s spending at $50 million, meaning that not all eligible students could receive the subsidy. Families making up to 300% of the federal poverty level — which is currently $77,460 for a family of three — would be given the first opportunity to apply, said Horman, co-chair of the Legislature’s influential joint finance committee.
Beyond that, Horman told attendees, the bill does not include income caps. Students with special needs would be eligible to up to $7,500.
“We’re not giving up until we succeed,” said Horman, who in previous years has advocated for unsuccessful voucher proposals. “We hope that that is this year.”
She added that their proposal is directed at students “who are stuck in schools that are not meeting their needs and need a different option.”
Governor signals support for voucher program
The Horman-Den Hartag bill appeared to dovetail with Gov. Brad Little’s own announcement Monday, which signaled his budget recommendation of $50 million for “education freedom.”
Little told reporters Monday after his annual State of the State address that he thinks there is now a “critical mass” in the Legislature to pass a voucher bill, but still disagreement about the details.
“I obviously … want some things in it, and I can’t get them in it if I’m not part of the discussion,” he said.
“I recognize the growing desire to expand school choice especially for students with unique physical or developmental conditions,” Little said during his prepared remarks earlier in the day, adding that he would only support plans that are “fair, responsible, transparent, and accountable,” and that would not reduce funding for public schools.
Opponents of vouchers argue they would do just that, and point to states like Arizona, which this year has a $1.4 billion budget shortfall which is due partly to its voucher program, according to an analysis from the Grand Canyon Institute.
Idaho’s state’s private schools are concentrated in urban areas, which may make it difficult for students in rural areas to benefit from the subsidy. And of the state’s roughly 120 registered private schools, a majority are in four counties: Ada, Canyon, Kootenai and Twin Falls, according to the Idaho State Department of Education. Tuition can also cost tens of thousands of dollars, which leaves private schools out of reach for many families, even with some of the costs written off.
“I think Idaho taxpayers want a little bit more accountability for their tax dollars,” Mike Journee, spokesperson for the state teachers’ union, told the Statesman. “Every voucher bill that I’ve heard of passed around the country starts out as a modest bill … It always grows and becomes a big budget challenge.”
On Monday, following the governor’s speech, Idaho Democratic leaders warned what proceeding with taxpayer-funded voucher for private education could spell for the state’s budget.
”Every state that has implemented a plan like this has seen exploded costs and serious damage to their public schools,” House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, told reporters. “This plan is sending taxpayer money into a black hole.”
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