During Idaho’s legislative session, we’ve heard a lot of discussion about school choice, vouchers, education savings accounts and public education in general. The debate on this issue keeps producing the same questions with few answers.
How do we account for where and how parents will spend your taxpayer dollars? How can we protect rural schools with fixed costs and lack of access to private schools? How does Idaho indefinitely run two school systems without it eating through the entire public school budget?
Let’s ignore those questions for the moment and focus on the one we all ask, “How much will it cost?” Senate Bill 1038 proposed creating a universal education savings program. Other states have adopted similar programs with ballooning, outrageous costs. Within a short amount of time, we can see the financial obligation that weighs on those taxpayers and what a similar program would cost Idahoans.
Starting in July 2023, this program would cost Idahoans $44 million on the assumption that 6,600 students would participate in the first year. In the following year, that price tag jumps to an unthinkable $363.8 million. That’s a 726.8% increase. How can that happen? By looking at other states, we can see how program participation and costs spike when it comes with no strings attached.
Imagine what our state budget (and taxes) will look like if we allow that kind of growth in government in a single year. When senators in the Idaho Legislature voted no on SB 1038, they stopped a program that lacked accountability and transparency. They defended Idaho taxpayers from a boondoggle.
The numbers don’t lie. This is an expensive and irresponsible approach to funding education. Idaho currently ranks third in the nation for educational freedom. We do offer school choice, but we don’t use your hard-earned tax dollars to pay for private schools.
Additionally, Homeschool Idaho, the largest homeschool organization in the state, and many other alternative schooling groups strongly opposed SB 1038. Contrary to what many would have you believe, it is not a fight between homeschoolers and public school. You can learn more about their position on ESAs on their website at homeschoolidaho.org/esa-faq.
Idahoans would like to see all students educated well. The school voucher debate is being funded by out-of-state groups who don’t understand Idaho.
Our public education system absolutely needs improvement. But the solution isn’t to destroy it. Thankfully we can learn from the mistakes of other states and reject a short-sighted and costly government program from a small group of people that want the rest of us to foot the bill.
Written by Rep. Jerald Raymond, Rep. Rod Furniss, Sen. Van Burtenshaw, Rep. Josh Wheeler, Sen. Mark Harris, Rep. Britt Raybould, Sen. Dave Lent, Rep. Marco Erickson, Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen, Rep. Jon Weber and Sen. Kevin Cook.
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