Don’t let school vouchers come to Idaho. Properly fund our public schools first

A movement is afoot to bring school vouchers to Idaho, under the guise of “student-centered funding.”

Already we have seen “camel’s nose under the tent” bills that direct public taxpayer dollars to students who attend private schools.

Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, and Sen. Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian, introduced a bill Thursday that would use $5 million in state general funds to administer a “scholarship program” for up to 800 students who attend private schools.

Horman was quick to note, “none of these funds come from the public school budget. These are new ongoing state general fund revenues.”

But that money could be directed, instead, into the public school budget, so it is taking away from the public school budget.

At the same time, Idaho is sitting on a $600 million budget surplus, and rather than direct some of that money to bolstering the public school budget, Idaho legislators are proposing to cut personal income and sales taxes.

Meanwhile, Idaho is dead last in per-pupil funding in the country.

And now, some legislators are trying to use taxpayer dollars to subsidize people who choose to send their children to private schools.

Horman and Den Hartog’s bill would provide a scholarship to a private school student in the amount of 90% of what would otherwise be spent on that student at a public school, that “per-pupil” amount. So, for example, Idaho spends about $6,747 per pupil. Using that number, a student would be given $6,072 to spend on a private school.

If you think this bill is only a minor bill that has limited ramifications, you only need look at a personal bill presented this session by Rep. Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird, euphemistically titled, “Empower Parents in Education Act.”

This sweeping bill, which Giddings herself writes in her statement of purpose, “would create the Nation’s most expansive education spending account program.”

The state would establish education savings accounts providing up to $4,200 to every student who wants to go to a private school.

Giddings’ bill estimates Idaho would spend $72 million on private school students, but according to her bill’s fiscal impact statement, “This legislation would have no impact on the General Fund. This bill redistributes existing state K-12 education appropriations.”

Catch that? It merely takes $72 million out of the K-12 education appropriations and moves it on over to private school payments.

Giddings’ bill is just a personal bill and won’t be taken up this session, but make no mistake: This is the first shot across the bow in establishing a voucher system in Idaho.

It’s worth pointing out that Idahoans already have an option for a tax-advantaged savings account for private schools. The popular 529 plan, typically used for saving for college, has been expanded to include K-12, as well. This is a good option that doesn’t use public dollars to fund private schools.

We would have less of a problem with proposals like Horman’s and Giddings’ bills if we felt the Idaho Legislature were adequately funding our public schools. But it is not.

In all, 92 school districts in Idaho were operating on taxpayer-approved, temporary supplemental levies totaling $216 million in 2018-19, according to Idaho Education News. That suggests that Idaho schools are underfunded by at least that much.

The Idaho Constitution’s education clause states, “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.”

It’s clear that Idaho does not have a uniform system of education. Some school districts are operating with supplemental levies that other districts either don’t ask for or simply can’t pass. Some school districts operate on a four-day week. Some districts have music and Latin teachers, while others do not.

Idaho legislators already are starving our public schools but somehow believe that diverting money away to subsidize a personal choice to go to a private school will improve education in Idaho. It doesn’t make sense.

Rather than spending taxpayer dollars on school vouchers, Idaho legislators should focus on making our public schools better.