School Choice

For years, Idaho policymakers have debated whether to direct public funds to private schooling. While other Republican-led states, like Arizona, Florida and Iowa, have adopted or expanded their own private school assistance programs in recent years, advocates for private school choice in Idaho so far have been stymied.

That’s in part due to a contingent of public school supporters and their Statehouse allies, who have argued that vouchers, education savings accounts and other mechanisms to subsidize private education would be unaccountable to taxpayers and would siphon limited state funds available for public schools. Meanwhile, the Blaine Amendment, a provision in the Idaho Constitution, continues to prohibit public resources from benefitting religious schools, effectively blocking most of Idaho’s private schools from receiving state assistance if such a program existed.

But these roadblocks could be weakening heading into the 2025 legislative session — when GOP leaders have promised a renewed push for private school choice. Republican voters in May ousted some of the Legislature’s most ardent skeptics of private school choice, and an ongoing lawsuit threatens to strike down Blaine, potentially clearing the path for a policy bill directing public funds to private schools.

Idaho EdNews will closely track the ongoing debate in the coming months and curate our stories here. For questions about our school choice coverage or tips about what we should pursue, contact reporters Ryan Suppe ([email protected]) and Kevin Richert ([email protected]).