This story is part of a series of candidate profiles that Idaho Education News will publish leading up to the Nov. 5 general election. Our coverage focuses on competitive races in swing districts and those that have implications for education policy. Click here to see our previously published election stories. Click here to see your ballot. 

Three-term state Rep. Steve Berch describes himself as a critical legislative thinker, applying long-term analytical skills honed during three decades at Hewlett Packard.

With a background in the banking and health care sectors — and now a position with the state — challenger Annette Tipton says she wants to emphasize fiscal transparency and accountability.

Berch, a Democrat, and Tipton, a Republican, are facing off for a House seat in West Boise’s legislative District 15. It’s one of the most competitive districts in Idaho, represented by a split, bipartisan legislative delegation.

Both candidates say they are hearing a recurring theme while campaigning; voters are most concerned about inflation, an issue largely beyond the Legislature’s control. Both candidates rank education as a top priority, and they differ on private school choice and other education issues.

Berch at a glance

A member of the House Education Committee, Berch has been a steadfast opponent of putting public money into school choice measures. He expects the battle to intensify in 2025. Out-of-state advocates and lobbyists have poured thousands of dollars into Idaho and its elections, and if he’s re-elected, House Speaker Mike Moyle has vowed to get a school choice bill through the Legislature in 2025.

And under recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings, any school choice law would allow secular and religious private schools the same access to taxpayer money. “There is no middle ground,” he said in an interview. “You’ve breached the dam and you can’t go back.”

If re-elected, Berch hopes to stay on House Education, a possible battleground committee in the school choice debate.

Berch has also been a staunch supporter of Idaho Launch, a fledgling program that provides high school graduates up to $8,000 to pursue college or job training. This is the first year students are using Launch grants, and opponents who are demanding immediate results are being “disingenuous,” Berch said.

“You have to take the long-term view,” he said.

Berch was one of only six House members to vote against House Bill 521, a complicated and far-reaching law that cut income taxes while committing $1.5 billion to school facilities. HB 521 and a predecessor law — House Bill 292, which created a state fund to offset school bonds and levies — produced only a “dip” in property taxes, Berch said. And he said K-12 budgets are still falling short, since districts still have to go to local voters, sometimes annually, seeking bond issues and supplemental levies.

Berch acknowledges that he frequently votes in the minority, pushing back against popular proposals. He attributes this to door-to-door campaigning — he says he has knocked on 40,000 doors during his years as a candidate and lawmaker — which gives him insight into the unintended consequences of bills. “I understand what the issues are, but I think I understand a little more than that.”

Berch is one of the most well-funded incumbents in the Legislature, Republican or Democrat.

He has raised nearly $183,000 this election cycle. Many of Berch’s largest contributions have come from prominent Democrats and unions, but longtime Boise school trustee Nancy Gregory and State Board of Education member Kurt Liebich also appear on his donor list.

Tipton at a glance

A native of Rupert, Tipton is the granddaughter of immigrants from Mexico; her mother was the first member of her family to attend college. Tipton says her own education — in Idaho public schools and college — has opened the door to a wide range of opportunities. She worked as an intern for Sen. Mike Crapo, represented financial institutions on Capitol Hill and worked on enrollment for Terry Reilly Health Services.

More recently, she worked for state Controller Brandon Woolf, helping local governments navigate the federal rules that came with COVID aid dollars. She now heads Insight Idaho, a legislative-mandated project to create an integrated data management system across state agencies.

Tipton says parenthood shapes her views on education; she says her 3-year-old daughter is “the reason I decided to run.” However, she also takes a data-driven view of some key education issues.

While many legislative Republicans have opposed Launch, Tipton said she’s inclined to support it. “It’ll be interesting to see the outcome,” she said in an interview. “One year doesn’t really give you a lot of time to look at.”

She said HB 521, the facilities law, represents a good start. But she wants to see how the law works — to see if the program meets the needs of rural schools, and not just urban districts.

She expressed mixed opinions about a law designed to prevent children from accessing library materials that are deemed harmful. Tipton says she is a proponent of protecting kids. “I support libraries, too,” she said. “That’s what’s hard.” Berch opposed the bill.

Tipton said she is open to exploring school choice programs, to supplement the options already available to families. But she insists that a school choice program cannot come at the expense of public schools. “I want to look at all ideas,” she said. “I feel like I can’t say no to anything or yes to anything at this point.”

While Tipton would be a first-term lawmaker, she would also be a member of a House Republican supermajority. She said she believes she’d be able to translate hard work into tangible results, something she says Berch has been unable to do.

Tipton has raised slightly more than $50,000 for the race, including a $15,000 loan she made to her campaign. She has received maximum donations from several prominent Republicans, including Woolf, former state superintendent Tom Luna and House Majority Leader Jason Monks, R-Meridian. Her website also touts endorsements from Crapo, Gov. Brad Little and state superintendent Debbie Critchfield.

Disclosure: The Idaho Land Fund has contributed to Annette Tipton’s campaign. J.B. Scott — the founding chairman of the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, which funds Idaho Education News — is affiliated with the Idaho Land Fund.