Idaho House lawmakers have passed a $50 million private school tuition subsidy bill after hours of debate Friday afternoon.
House Bill 93 would give families a refundable tax credit to pay for educational expenses, like private school tuition, transportation and books, among other costs.
Households earning less than 300% of the federal poverty level, or about $94,000 a year for a family of four, would be prioritized for the first year.
Beginning in 2027, those who’ve already received the tax credit would be pushed to the front of the line.
Rep. David Cannon (R-Idaho Falls) said parents who choose private education for their kids have essentially been paying tuition for two schools.
First, the private school tuition. “While at the same time also supporting, just as we all do, public education students across the state,” Cannon said.
Other supporters, like Rep. John Vander Woude (R-Nampa), said Idaho is behind the curve compared to other states that have created school voucher-type programs.
“It’s time to offer choices,” said Vander Woude. “It’s time for people to spend their tax dollars where they would like them to go.”
But Rep. Lance Clow (R-Twin Falls) said this bill would just reward families who’ve already enrolled kids in private school – not families looking for more educational options.
“Do we want to support [school choice] or do we just want to give back to the families who’ve made the choice with some of our tax funds,” Clow said.
Idaho already has many different educational options parents can choose, like unregulated homeschooling, private schools and charter schools. Families can also apply to send their children to a public school outside their home district.
Gov. Brad Little set aside $50 million in his proposed budget for some type of tuition subsidy legislation. But Little said any proposal would need to be “fair, responsible, transparent, and accountable.”
Supporters assured their fellow state representatives that subsidizing private school tuition would lead to better academic achievement for those students.
But House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel (D-Boise) pointed out we’ll never know if that’s true.
“There’s no testing or results reporting under this bill, so we will be sending some money into a black hole. We will have no idea if the kids who get this money are doing better or worse,” Rubel said.
Just 38% of Idahoans support using taxpayer dollars for private school tuition compared to 53% who oppose the idea according to Boise State University's most recent statewide survey.
Nineteen Republicans joined Democrats in opposing the measure, ending in a 42-28 vote.
The bill now goes to the Senate, which is considering its own private school subsidy proposal.
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