Idaho House Ox Private School Subsidation of Subsidy – State Public Radio Boise State

Aidaho House’s legislators have adopted a bill to subsidize private schools in the amount of $ 50 million after hours of debate on Friday afternoon.

Bill the house 93 It would give families a repayment tax credit to pay for educational expenses, such as training of private schools, transport and books, among other expenses.

Households, which earn less than 300% of the federal poverty level, or about $ 94,000 a year for four family will be prioritized for the first year.

At the beginning of 2027, those who have already received the tax credit will be pushed to the front of the line.

Reporter David Cannon (R-Idaho Falls) said that parents who choose private education for their children are essentially paying training for two schools.

First, private school training. “While at the same time, we also support, just like all of us, public education students throughout the country,” Cannon said.

Other supporters, such as reporter John Vander Wood, said Idaho is behind the curve compared to other countries that have created programs of school vouchers.

“It’s time to offer a choice,” Vander Vude said. “It’s time for people to spend their tax dollars where they would like to go.”

But reporter Lance Clow (R-Twin Falls) said this bill will simply reward families who have already enrolled in children in a private school-no families who are looking for more educational opportunities.

“Do we want to support [school choice] Or we just want to go back to the families who have made the choice with some of our tax funds, “said Clow.

Idaho already has many different educational options that parents can choose, such as unregulated home schools, private schools and charter schools. Families can also apply to send their children to a public school outside their kind.

Governor Brad Little has spent $ 50 million in his proposed budget for some kind of legislation to subsidize training. But a little said that every proposal would have to be “fair, responsible, transparent and responsible.”

Proponents assured their fellow state representatives that subsidizing the education of private schools would lead to better academic achievement for these students.

But the leader of minority at the D-Boise home said that we would never know if this was true.

“There is no testing or accounting of results on this bill, so we will send some money to a black hole. We will have no idea whether the children who receive this money are doing better or better, “Rubel said.

Only 38% of Idahoans support, using taxpayers dollars for private training, compared to 53%, which opposes the idea according to the largest study of the State University of Boise.

Nineteen Republicans joined the Democrats in opposing the measure, ending with 42-28 votes.

The bill now goes to the Senate, which is considering its own proposal to subsidize private schools.

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