Idaho lawmakers have their first look at a bill that would subsidize private school tuition to the tune of $50 million in taxpayer money.
Under House Bill 39, families who apply would receive a refundable tax credit of $5,000 per child or $7,500 for kids with disabilities under the proposal.
“That is a responsible number that we believe will improve the lives of comparatively few children who just need that different learning environment,” said Rep. Wendy Horman (R-Idaho Falls), one of the bill’s chief sponsors.
The program would initially prioritize families earning less than 300% of the federal poverty level, or $93,600 for a family of four. Beginning in 2027, parents who previously received the tax credit would receive priority.
Parents could also use the money to cover curriculum expenses, textbooks and transportation to and from their private school.
Horman rejected calls for adding accountability measures to the proposal, like certain testing benchmarks or curriculum standards.
“You regulate government monopolies differently than you regulate the free market,” she said.
Ideas like these without accountability measures are a hard no for Democrats, like Rep. Steve Berch (D-Boise).
He said there should be repercussions if a family takes the tax credit, but eventually returns to the public school system – including repayment.
“There needs to be consequences for the decisions someone makes and one of them would be making sure your kid can test at grade level if you want to bring them back into the public school system,” Berch said.
Gov. Brad Little also drew a line in the sand during his state of the state address earlier this month.
“Just as we expect the following from our public schools, any school choice measure I would consider must be done the Idaho way, which means it is fair, responsible, transparent, and accountable,” Little said.
The governor’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the newly introduced legislation.
The bill still needs a public hearing before it could reach the House floor for a vote.
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