On Thursday morning, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 93. House Bill 93 will give qualified families $5,000 for private education. Families with children who have disabilities will be eligible for $7,500. Governor Little made a statement shortly after signing the bill. “With the passage [of this bill], Idaho boasts even more abundant schooling options for Idaho students and families.”
House Bill 93, or the Parental Choice Tax Credit bill, will use $50 million to fund a tax credit program to help families pay for private school tuition. Educators expressed concern about the bill, arguing that it takes money that could be spent on public education. The Idaho Democratic Party said, “Vouchers [provide] no accountability to taxpayers or families.”
Before signing the bill, the Governor’s office allowed its phone number to be used for public input on whether Governor Little should sign or veto it. It was later revealed that 86% of the 37,000 respondents opposed the bill. At first, Governor Little’s staff declined to release that information.
Republican lawmakers in Idaho expressed their backing for the bill. Representative Wendy Horman from Idaho Falls remarked, “School choice represents the civil rights issue of our time.”
School choice allows parents to choose their child’s school freely, regardless of proximity. The controversy over school choice in the US began in the 1990s. There was a growing concern about how public schools performed academically, so states began to adopt charter schools. Charter schools are funded by taxpayer money but privately owned.
Religious schools have gotten into the spotlight with the issue of school choice. Religious schools have existed since the 1800s. Senator Treg Bernt from Meridian presented a story of a family’s children, who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, were rejected from a Treasure Valley Christian school.
Idaho was among the few “red” states that did not have school choice vouchers. School choice policies remain popular among Republican politicians both on local and national levels.
