BOISE (Feb. 12, 2025) — After a 6-3 vote in the Senate committee this afternoon, the Democratic Caucus released the following statement on House Bill 93.
“Idahoans have been very clear that they are not interested in subsidizing their neighbors’ private or religious school choice, particularly when we’re not fully funding our public schools as our Constitution requires.
“If you don’t choose to drive on public roads, you don’t get a tax credit. If you choose to hire private security instead of calling the police or fire department, you don’t get a tax credit. We pool our resources to fund public education, just like we do to ensure we have safe roads and communities.
“Idaho already leads the way in school choice, and so-called ‘refundable tax credits’ are just another budget-busting voucher scheme being pushed on us by out-of-state special interests.
“ Data show that the vast majority of students using vouchers in other states – 80% in one study – were already attending these expensive schools. This bill amounts to a government handout for wealthy families, and the money will inevitably come at the expense of public education funding. HB93 also fails to include any of the core principles of fairness, responsibility, accountability and transparency that Gov. Little has said he wants to see in any voucher bill.
“This bill puts Idaho on a reckless fiscal track without any meaningful standards or accountability. There’s not a single state that has managed to stay anywhere near the promised budget outlook – just look at the data in Arizona, Indiana, Florida, Texas, Georgia. In Arizona, vouchers were expected to cost $65 million, but have exploded past $800 million, forcing deep cuts to vital state programs and projects.
“We should learn from our fellow states that opening this door to vouchers will unleash a cascade of terrible consequences: blown budgets, increased inequality, defunded public schools, higher property taxes and weakened educational outcomes.
According to the 2024 Boise State University Public Policy Survey, only 14.9% of Idahoans said that the Legislature should prioritize sending tax dollars to private and religious schools.
