‘It’s a shift in education’

After lawmakers in Boise approved a $50 million school choice initiative Thursday, several Bonner and Boundary County educators and officials questioned if the law comes with enough accountability and whether it’s appropriate in Idaho’s tight education funding climate.

Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 93 — The Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit — into law on Feb. 27 after years of debate surrounding school choice initiatives in the state. 

Little’s approval launched a $50 million program offering $5,000 tax credits (or $7,500 for special needs students) for private schoolers and homeschoolers to spend on tuition and other educational expenses each year. 

Proponents say the law will expand residents’ education options: “Idaho can have it all — strong public schools AND education freedom,” Little said in a Feb. 27 press release. 

Critics say that public dollars should be spent on public education alone, and that subsidizing private education could eventually put Idaho’s public schools in jeopardy. 

District 1 lawmakers were split 

While HB 93 received majority support in Idaho’s House of Representatives and Senate, District 1A Rep. Mark Sauter voted against the bill when it came to his chamber. 

During a Feb. 8 town hall in Bonners Ferry, Sauter said that he believed Idaho must focus on fortifying its public education system and that he worried the state would not be able to ensure HB 93 funds would be spent appropriately. 

District 1 Sen. Jim Woodward also voted against the bill; during the Feb. 8 town hall, he echoed Sauter’s assessment that the proposed program lacks accountability. 

“I have resoundingly heard from folks at home that they are opposed to these proposals to fund private schools with public money,” he wrote in a Feb. 9 Notes from Boise column published in the Bonner County Daily Bee and Bonners Ferry Herald. 

District 1B Rep. Cornel Rasor voted in favor of HB 93 when it passed through the House, stating in a Feb. 26 Facebook post that the bill “had great detractors and supporters.” 

Rasor noted that HB 93 doesn’t take money away from Idaho’s education fund and that residents aren’t required to participate in the program.  

“I believe it offers other educational opportunities for people who would otherwise not be able to exercise those opportunities,” Rasor wrote in the post. “It was not a perfect bill; none are ever perfect, but I did support it.” 

Public schools rely on community support 

When asked about their reaction to the new tax credit program, several North Idaho educators said the state should ensure public institutions are adequately funded before supporting alternative options. Local administrators said they rely on community support on top of state funding to provide students with a meaningful education. 

Data from the 2022 Annual Survey of School System Finances released in April 2024 by the U.S. Census Bureau showed that Idaho’s per-pupil spending was $9,670 each year. The total was below the national average of $15,633 and placed Idaho second-to-last in the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. 

Lake Pend Oreille School District Superintendent Dr. Becky Meyer pointed to the ranking and noted that despite limited funding, Idaho students are competitive with those from other states. 

“We do a lot with little, and we get great results, especially in Lake Pend Oreille School District.” Meyer said. 

Meyer partially attributed LPOSD students’ above-average performance in state standardized tests to an indefinite $12.7 million annual levy approved by taxpayers in 2019 and support from community organizations like Panhandle Alliance for Education — a Sandpoint foundation dedicated to supporting local schools. 

“Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to provide such a quality education,” she said. 

Not all local districts have the same level of support. In November 2024, voters in Boundary County rejected a two-year, $2.4 million-per-year levy to support maintenance, curriculum materials and extra- and co-curricular activities. 

Residents also voted down a $10.5 million bond that would have covered the cost of replacing Valley View Elementary School — a deteriorating facility that led Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke to say he was “embarrassed being here representing the state of Idaho” during a November 2024 tour. 

“I have always been 100% in support of parent choice; I believe parents have choices,” Boundary County School District Superintendent Jan Bayer said of HB 93. “I just think that before you fund those choices, your constitutional obligation needs to be fulfilled,” she added, referring to a section of Idaho’s constitution that requires that state to maintain a “general, uniform and thorough” system of free schools. 

“I’ll say this until I’m blue in the face — until we stop having to run bonds and levies, we shouldn’t be diverting any funds to any other entity,” Bayer added. 

West Bonner County School District has faced similar challenges. After voters rejected the district’s last three levy requests, staff have said they’re staring down a budget crisis and may be forced to shutter two more schools in addition to Priest River Junior High, which closed after the 2023-2024 school year. 

With the tax credit program launching, WBCSD Superintendent Kim Spacek said it’s up to residents to decide who they want to educate their children: “If people aren’t happy with our district, they’re not sending their kids here,” he said. 

“I think the key for us is to offer what the community wants,” Spacek added. “They’re letting us know that we aren’t, so we’re making changes.” 

Private educators respond 

A portion of the $50 million allocated for the program may help local families cover the cost of enrollment at Bonner and Boundary counties’ 11 private schools. With several institutions offering annual tuition rates between $5,000 and $10,000, North Idaho residents may be able to cover a significant part of the cost with tax credits. 

Shar Wikoff, principal of the private Sandpoint Christian School in Ponderay, expressed support for the new program: “HB 93 gives families greater access to educational choices, which is a positive step for parents seeking the best fit for their children,” she said. 

Julie McCallan, pedagogical director at the private Sandpoint Waldorf School, said the school’s leaders are still working to interpret the law and understand how it will affect the institution. 

“While we welcome efforts to make alternative education more accessible, we also recognize the importance of a strong public school system,” McCallan said. “A thriving public education system benefits everyone in our community, and we do not wish to see public school funding diminished in a way that could negatively impact students.” 

A call for equal accountability 

Like Sauter, some local educators worry the state will not be able to ensure funds are spent effectively and suggest that private schools receiving state money should be held to the same standards at public institutions. 

“If parents are going to utilize funds for homeschooling or to attend a private school, we have a duty as community members to make sure that those students are improving academically,” Meyer said. 

“HB 93 only requires parent satisfaction as the accountability measure. That is not equitable, unless public school accountability measures are reduced to only parent satisfaction as accountability,” she added. 

Bayer said that because private institutions can select who they admit, they may appear to be more effective educators than they actually are. 

“Private schools can take the cream of the crop, and so it should look like they’re doing really well,” she said. “We don’t get that option because we believe in educating all kids, and we are mandated by law to do so.” 

Additionally, Bayer noted that private institutions, unlike public schools, are not always required to prove that they’re spending money appropriately. 

“Our school district is fiscally responsible. Every single year, we go through audits from an outside auditor,” Bayer said. 

“I feel if we’re held to that standard, anybody that receives government funded monies should have to live up to that same standard, too,” Bayer said. “They should show their receipts.” 

Moving forward 

As Idaho’s tax credit program for school choice launches, WBCSD and BCSD are bringing supplemental levies to the ballot once again in May. 

While they wait to see if voters will approve their requests, Bayer said that BCSD and other districts must continue to make lawmakers aware of public schools’ needs and educate students to the best of their ability with what they have available. 

“I’m sad, but it’s not going to change the way we serve kids. If anything, we’ll just continue to get better,” Bayer said. “It’s a shift in education. We’re letting too many people write our narrative — we’re going to have to stand up and start telling our own story.”