Idaho legislature has new school choice proposal: community schools

By Samantha Wright

Published February 6, 2024 at 2:47 PM MST

The Idaho Legislature has a new school choice proposal this year that would give out tax credits to parents who enroll their kids in private school.

Some say this will take much-needed money away from public schools, especially in rural areas, and that there are other solutions to creating better school outcomes in Idaho.

Idaho Matters: School Choice

During the 2024 session, the Idaho Legislature is planning to once again tackle the issue of school choice – allowing public tax dollars to go toward supporting private school education. Lawmakers have tried over the past several years to put some kind of program in place that would let parents choose where their kids go to school, using everything from vouchers to education saving accounts – but none of those past proposals have become law.Idaho Matters wants to take a deep dive into school choice with a series of conversations about how this would affect kids and parents, public and private schools, charter and religious schools, and taxpayers and educators.School choice is a complex issue and we're just starting to scratch the surface.

We’re taking a deep dive into school choice with conversations about how this would affect kids and parents, public and private schools, charter and religious schools, taxpayers and educators.

School choice is a big issue, and we’re just starting to scratch the surface. So we asked Rep. Lauren Necochea (D-Boise), the house assistant democratic leader and the chair of the Idaho Democratic Party, to join Idaho Matters to talk more.

Idaho legislature has new school choice proposal: community schools

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