The event was hosted by Idaho Business for Education, the League of Women Voters and the Idaho PTA. It was moderated by Karole Honas, a former local television news anchor. 

“I have had opinions for a long time, and when I very first started expressing them it was like a vomit of poison that I had held back on the set for 30 years,” Honas said.

“I have taken a side on this one, and it’s because I don’t think my tax dollars should go to private religious schools,” Honas said. “You know who else thinks that? Our Constitution.”

Main speakers included Paula Kellerer, CEO of Idaho Business for Education, and Alexis Morgan, president of the Idaho PTA and host of the “Our Kids, Our Schools” podcast. Several legislators also spoke at the end of the meeting.

As reported by Idaho Education News last week, House Bill 93, which proposes $50 million of refundable tax credits for private education expenses, is on the governor’s desk waiting to be signed into law or vetoed.

“Something that I think is really important about school choice, and this is something that I talk with people about, is that Idaho is a national leader in school choice,” Morgan said. “Technically, Idaho has nine different options for school choice.”

“When we hear the idea that this tax credit is about school choice, from my perspective and from the perspective of Idaho PTA, we’re saying that’s really not true, that’s actually intended to be confusing’ because Idaho already has a lot of school choice options,” Morgan said.

Kellerer argued that the foundation of this conversation is that public monies are going toward private education, and it isn’t a free market topic. Kellerer said in other states that have implemented such programs, the programs ballooned over time.

“It’s really important for us that we talk about protecting our public schools,” Kellerer said. “We don’t need to defend them.”

Morgan said Idaho is ranked among the highest states in the nation for reading scores, citing the National Assessment for Education Progress. According to a January report from the Idaho Department of Education, Idaho ranked fifth in the nation in fourth grade reading, and third in eighth grade reading. 

“To say something’s going wrong in our public schools would be inaccurate,” Morgan said.

“What’s really happening here — there are certain think tanks, there are certain groups and there are certain billionaires who are pushing their agenda,” Morgan said.

Morgan said as 94% of students in Idaho are in public schools, this bill prioritizes the small percentage in private schools.

She argued this is privatizing education and promotes segregating individuals by classes, as private schools can reject based on religion, mental capacity, interaction with other peers and academics.

Sen. Kevin Cook, R-Idaho Falls, also spoke at the event. Honas asked Cook whether any of the state senators should have recused themselves from voting on the bill if they had children in private schools.

“This year in the Senate, we do have a lot of younger males and females, so I’m assuming that they have some children and that they are attending our schools,” Cook said. “As far as a number, I don’t know that.”

Cook said Sen. Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian, specifically has children in a private school and did not recuse herself.

Honas then asked Rep. Jerald Raymond, R-Menan, if anyone was working on bills to increase public school funding.

Raymond said another “school choice” bill proposed by Sen. Dave Lent, R-Idaho Falls, was sturdier and provided more accountability, though it did not get passed.

“As a member of (the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee) that’s my real heartache with this bill. I can’t follow the money,” Cook said.

Gov. Brad Little is currently taking feedback from Idaho residents regarding HB 93 through the office’s phone number, 208-334-2100.