Public schools are mandated by Article IX, Section 1 of the Idaho State Constitution:
The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people, it shall be the duty of the legislature of Idaho, to establish and maintain a general, uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools.
As much as hardcore anarcho-capitalists or libertarians might dream, public education is here to stay. The question is, what form will it take?
Before talking about alternatives, let’s examine what the public school system looks like today. Idaho is divided into school districts, each of which is overseen by a board of trustees elected by the people. That board hires a superintendent, who in turn hires staff and teachers. Each district receives some funding from Idaho taxpayers via state government, while having the option to present levies or bonds to the people for approval, which are paid for with property taxes.
If you want to teach in a public school, you must complete a certification program that is accredited by one of two organizations. Generally this means going through a university education program. Teacher training programs are the narrow gate through which all public school teachers must pass, which means whatever ideology might be present in those programs will influence most public school teachers.
Curricula is tightly gate-kept as well. The recent decision by the Idaho Department of Education to allow districts to use materials from PragerU was called “controversial” and “divisive” by corporate media. Recent legislation has made it easier for parents to choose alternative curricula, but the basics are still narrowly controlled, especially after Common Core attempted to standardize options throughout the country.
The revolution before us is the realization that the system as it currently exists is not the only way to fulfill Idaho’s constitutional mandate.
Former Arizona governor Doug Ducey spoke to legislators and guests yesterday morning courtesy of the Mountain States Policy Center (MSPC). He shared how his state has enacted universal school choice via tax credits and education savings accounts (ESAs), and that this variety has allowed more students to succeed, even in poor or rural areas that are often overlooked.
Idaho is one of the few red states left without any system in which money follows the student, rather than the public school district. In 2023, Sens. Tammy Nichols and Brian Lenney introduced a bill that would create Arizona-style ESAs, but it was soundly defeated on the Senate floor. Leftists and public school boosters did not want to see tax dollars leave the system which they control, while some homeschool families were concerned about becoming entwined in a government program.
In 2024, Rep. Wendy Horman and Sen. Lori Den Hartog proposed a tax credit for families whose children are not enrolled in the public school system. This one failed in committee, with several Republicans joining Democrats in refusing to consider any system that takes control away from the public school system.
Rep. Horman took the lectern on Monday morning to propose a similar bill for this session. We won’t have full details until it is printed, but Horman said it will provide a $5,000 tax credit per student that is not enrolled in a public school, or $7,500 if the student has special needs. The program is capped at $50 million, meaning the credit is first come, first serve, but it will give priority to families under 300% of the federal poverty line:
While this is not as much as school choice proponents such as myself want to see — the state spends an average of $8,500 per student in public school districts, so I believe discussions should start there — it is doable. There are some issues, such as the fact that poor families likely couldn’t afford the initial expense before receiving a tax credit the following year, however once the program is in place we can gauge interest and increase both the credit and the overall cap from there. If school choice proves popular, then there will be additional pressure on the Legislature to make the program available to more families.
However, Gov. Brad Little said in his speech that he wants to see some measure of “accountability” for the students in these alternative programs. The governor’s budget presentation this morning in JFAC made it clear that he wants “sideboards” on the program:
I agree with the Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) which tweeted this morning:
While others laud Gov. Little’s attempt at expanding school choice, we are not so thrilled. In yesterday’s press conference he suggested imposing teacher certification, curricula, and testing requirements. This is just our failing public school system in different packaging.
If teacher certification, curricula, and testing requirements were enough to ensure student success, then our public schools would be doing great already, and there would not be such a push for alternatives. Instead, testing shows that less than half of public school students are proficient in math and reading, which is so embarrassing that the Department of Education recently lowered its own standards for success.
It’s mind-boggling to see so many self-proclaimed conservatives completely ignore free-market principles when it comes to education. We would never consider creating a government bureaucracy to go into grocery stores and decide that certain foods do not meet nutritional or taste thresholds. The government doesn’t even do that for SNAP or other taxpayer-funded welfare programs. Yet we think the same government should decide what constitutes a quality education?
Rep. Jason Monks said it well in the House Republican press conference yesterday. Parents provide the ultimate level of accountability when it comes to their children’s education. I would add that there is not currently sufficient accountability for public schools. Consider that if a public school is found to be failing over half its students, we’re told it needs more of our money. If a private school is in the same situation, it will go out of business as families take their children — and their money — elsewhere.
That’s the free market that conservatives claim to cherish.
Opponents of school choice like to say that Idaho already has school choice, since parents have the option of enrolling their children in charter schools, private schools, microschools, or keep them at home for school. Yet all of these things cost money, and in some cases, time. Not every family has that option. Why should poor families, or single-parent families, be trapped in public schools that are not educating their children? We all pay taxes; why not give families more flexibility as to where those taxes go?
Both Gov. Little and Idaho Democrats strongly support the Launch Grant, which is essentially a taxpayer-funded voucher given to high school graduates to use toward trade school or job training, despite such a thing having no basis in the Idaho Constitution. On the other hand, funding K-12 education is mandated, yet the governor worries about accountability, while Democrats fight tooth-and-nail to keep students from leaving the public system. Why the double standard?
Yesterday evening, Sen. Codi Galloway hosted a forum at the Capitol to discuss school choice. Chris Cargill of MSPC spoke in favor of having money follow the student, while Paula Kellerer of the lobby group Idaho Business for Education spoke against. I found Kellerer’s arguments to be extremely unsatisfying, as she continually referred to every school choice option as “vouchers” and tried to claim that any such scheme was unconstitutional.
Cargill did well, for his part. At one point he called school choice “the civil rights issue of our time,” eliciting a loud guffaw from a rude woman sitting behind me. Yet that is the opposition we face, isn’t it? We’re taking a look at a public school system that is failing in its mission to educate children, to prepare young people to take part in our republican form of government, yet public school boosters simply laugh.
Nevertheless, we are making progress. Two years ago, Senate Bill 1038 failed on a 12-23 vote, with legislative leadership dismissing it with a contemptuous wave of the hand. Today, we have a tax credit bill that has the support of both Gov. Little and Speaker Moyle. We still need to work out the details, and I hope legislators are successful in removing onerous requirements for accountability that will only serve to extend the failure of the public school system into the non-public world, but the fact that we’ve moved the debate this far is a positive sign. School choice is inevitable, and it’s time to bring it to the people of Idaho.
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About Brian Almon
Brian Almon is the Editor of the Gem State Chronicle. He also serves as Chairman of the District 14 Republican Party and is a trustee of the Eagle Public Library Board. He lives with his wife and five children in Eagle.
