The first day of the 2025 legislative session started Monday with Gov. Brad Little’s State of of the State address, emphasizing his support for private school subsidies. In their response, Democratic leaders pushed back, saying the program would impact public schools.
Speaking at the Capitol, House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel (D-Boise) said the proposed school voucher program would cost more than the $50 million set aside in the governor’s budget.
“It will blow up the budget and it will defund our public schools. Every state that has implemented a plan like this has seen exploding costs and serious damage to their public schools,” she said.
Rubel added the vouchers would not benefit low income families as the $5,000 to $7,500 per child subsidies would not cover the full, much higher cost of non-public schools. She also highlighted concerns the voucher program did not come with accountability metrics.
“Why would we jeopardize the necessary services that Idahoans count on so that we can cut checks to the wealthiest families in the state to cover their private school tuition?” Rubel said.
Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow (D-Boise) noted Little’s address did not mention health and childcare, nor Idaho’s contested anti-abortion laws.
“Where the GOP vows to extremists who increasingly control their party and embrace the idea that government should be in our business, our libraries, our doctor exam rooms, we will fight back,” Wintrow said.
Lawmakers will meet Tuesday for their first committee meetings of the session.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly titled Rep. Rubel as Assistant Minority Leader. She is the House Minority Leader.
