Gov. Little issues decision on Trump-endorsed school choice bill

Carly Komatsoulis and Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Gov. Brad Little signed into law House Bill 93, a major victory for school choice-minded lawmakers after years of attempts to introduce vouchers in Idaho, and the most significant bill to pass so far this legislation session.

“Idaho can have it all — strong public schools AND education freedom. Providing high-quality education for Idaho students will always be our top priority,” Little said in a statement Thursday.

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The legislation, co-sponsored by Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, and Senate Majority Leader Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian, will set aside $50 million for $5,000 grants to students who don’t go to public schools, according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting.

Students with disabilities could receive up to $7,500 annually. The grants would come in the form of refundable tax credits.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump backed the bill in a social media post. “This bill, which has my complete and total support, MUST PASS!” he wrote. Horman thanked the president for his endorsement of her Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit bill.

The bill’s supporters say it will help level the playing field for children from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

“I’m just so excited for the opportunities this will bring for students who maybe just need a different option for one reason or another, especially families of modest resources,” Horman told the Idaho Statesman in an interview Thursday at the Capitol after Little issued his decision.

Several school choice bills were introduced this session, including Senate Bill 1025, which died on the Senate floor. The Horman-Den Hartog proposal came out the victor with the governor’s signature Thursday.

The idea of school vouchers has drawn opposition from both sides of the aisle, joined by Idaho teacher’s union and public schools’ superintendents. Critics argue the vouchers will take money away from already-underfunded public schools and give it to families who can already afford to send their children to private schools.

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“Today, Gov. Brad Little betrayed his promise to Idahoans that he would stand up for public education and would veto any voucher bill that does not meet standards of fairness, accountability, responsibility, and transparency,” the Idaho Joint Democratic caucus said in an immediate statement in response Thursday.

Little had expressed concern about school choice bill

Although Little announced support last month in his annual State of the State address for a $50 million limited school voucher plan, he also expressed concerns at a press conference earlier this week with the details of the bill he ultimately chose to sign.

“I don’t get very many perfect pieces of legislation,” Little told reporters Tuesday. “The only thing this perfectly fit into was my $50 million box. … There’s not enough accountability in it.”

Little said money for school vouchers wouldn’t come at the expense of public school funding.

“The governor has sacrificed his legacy as a pro-public schools governor and a fiscal conservative by signing a bill that siphons public dollars to subsidize private school tuition for the wealthy,” the Democratic caucus statement read.

Horman pushed back on that claim, citing a doubling public school budget in the past decade, while the student population has risen about 10%.

“If I thought for one minute this would harm our public schools or our children, I wouldn’t be running the bill,” she said. When she presented the bill in committee, she said “supporting all kids wherever they are learning is a civil rights issue of our time.”

Little set up an automated phone system to take feedback from residents , according to Idaho Education News. On Tuesday, Little told reporters he’d heard from thousands of Idahoans about the bill, but didn’t specify whether they supported or opposed it. By Thursday, those totals had yet to be released.

After Little signed the bill, Horman said he was “very much responding to an electorate that is wanting more choice in their educational options.” She cited a recent poll of more than 800 residents that found support for her proposal from 73% of Republicans and 53% of Democrats, according to the Mountain States Policy Center.

With the signing of the bill Thursday, he said the decision made Idaho “the first state to offer education freedom from kindergarten through career.”

“With the passage of the $50 million Parental Choice Tax Credit program, Idaho boasts even more abundant schooling options for Idaho students and families,” Little said in his statement.