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. Click here to check out EdNews’ voter guide to the 2024 general election races. 

A Pocatello rematch for a House seat could carry big implications for Idaho education — especially when it comes to private school choice. 

It’s the second time incumbent Dustin Manwaring and Mary Shea — both lawyers — are facing off for House Seat A in District 29. Manwaring, now in his third term, bested Shea in 2022 by 644 votes. 

At the time, Shea was a political newcomer, still fundraising and building her campaign. She now has greater name recognition and support, including backing from the Idaho Education Association — which flipped after supporting Manwaring in 2022. 

Manwaring attributes the teachers’ union’s “frustrating” reversal to a key difference between the two candidates: Shea opposes all forms of private school choice — a controversial effort to subsidize private schooling with taxpayer dollars — while Manwaring opposes vouchers but is open to tax credits or education savings accounts if they meet certain conditions. 

If Manwaring wins, he could be a swing vote on private school choice. And as Republican caucus chair, he would have the power to influence intraparty discussions. 

But Shea could prove a heartier adversary this time. In a district that is bluer than many, she’s been campaigning alongside District 29 incumbent Democrats, Rep. Nate Roberts and Sen. James Ruchti. Roberts is seeking reelection to House Seat B, and running against Republican Tanya Burgoyne, while Ruchti is running unopposed. 

Manwaring, who grew up in Blackfoot, touts a record of supporting public education in past legislative sessions, including co-sponsoring a sweeping facilities funding bill and enabling teachers to get on the state health insurance plan. He also claims to have voted “to put over a billion dollars in public education since I’ve been in office.”

Shea, who grew up in Chicago and Virginia, touts her expertise and focus on child welfare law. “I’ve been privileged to choose passion over profit, focusing on providing essential services for children and families in need,” she says on her website. She’s running because “supermajority rule is unhealthy,” she told EdNews. “It’s unhealthy for democracy and tends to take states into extremist territory.”

Where the candidates stand on key education issues

EdNews talked to both candidates about where they stand on education issues that may surface at the next legislative session. Here’s a rundown of each topic and their stance:

Private school choice

The context: Funding or subsidizing non-public schooling has been among the most divisive education issues in Idaho. While efforts to enact a private school subsidy program have failed in recent legislative sessions, they are highly likely to resurface in 2025. 

Manwaring: Opposed to vouchers, open to education tax credits/education savings accounts, if they meet certain criteria:  

• • They hold parents accountable for student achievement. This could look like parents having their children take state exams and submitting their scores for review. Manwaring does not want to put accountability mandates on private schools because he wants them to maintain their autonomy and independence. 
  • They include spending caps. 
  • They are prioritized for low-income families, or families with vulnerable students, like those with disabilities. 
  • They don’t hurt public education. Funding for such subsidies could come from other budgets and not siphon dollars earmarked for public education, Manwaring said.

He said he would have to see a bill in writing before he could say for sure whether he would vote on it: “the devil is in the details.” Manwaring said he wants to find a solution in a private school choice bill that Pocatellans “can accept and live with.”

“If we can’t get a bill that does that, I’ll start working on it myself,” he said. 

Shea: Opposed to all forms of private school subsidies 

“It doesn’t matter what form it takes … all of the same harms still happen,” she said. 

Any kind of state-funded subsidy likely wouldn’t be enough to cover full private school tuition, she said, so low to middle-income families will still be “priced out.” “It ends up just being a tax benefit for the most advantaged Idahoans at the expense of the most disadvantaged Idahoans, because we are taking tax dollars away that could be used to invest in our public schools.”

She is also concerned that:

• • Private schools could discriminate against certain students, like LGBTQ students or students with disabilities. “The kids who have the highest needs will be left in the public school system with even less resources to address those needs. And we’ve been failing these kids for a long time in Idaho.”
  • Some parents might misuse the tax dollars. It’s a concern after there was some “fraud and grift” with the Empowering Parents grants. 
  • Rural students would not have the same opportunities to attend private schools. 
  • Idaho schools are underfunded already, so the state should not invest in a “parallel system.”

Facilities funding

The context: Last session,  House Bill 521 allocated $1.5 billion for public school buildings. There have been some hiccups, however, when it comes to funding routine maintenance needs. 

Manwaring: Open to improving the law

Manwaring, one of the bill’s 48 co-sponsors, is open to fixes to HB 521, such as addressing funding for routine maintenance needs, and ensuring rural districts get enough funding.

“The overall objective is: how do we keep getting to a place where we’re fully funding facilities?”

Shea: The law did not go far enough to fund public school buildings

Shea supports the “overall intent” of the law but it “doesn’t go far enough,” she wrote in a response to an EdNews candidate survey.

“I would advocate for a more robust and equitable solution that addresses these facility issues with greater urgency,” she wrote. “This plan needs to be expanded to ensure all schools, especially in rural areas, have access to safe, modern, and well-maintained facilities.”

She is also in favor of lowering the threshold for bonds to pass, and enabling school districts to advocate for bonds and levies. 

Critchfield’s weighted funding plan 

The context: State superintendent Debbie Critchfield is proposing some school financing tweaks — namely doling out more funding for more expensive students. The funding formula update would provide districts with more money for high-needs students, including those with disabilities, from low-income families, who are falling behind in reading or who are at-risk. 

Manwaring: Interested in supporting it but needs more information

Shea: Likely will support, but said it should be paired with a return to enrollment-based funding

Attendance vs. enrollment-based funding

The context: Last school year, the state switched back to funding schools through an attendance-based formula, rather than the enrollment-based formula used during the pandemic. That means unpredictable, and usually smaller, state payments, are putting many districts in a financial bind. 

Manwaring: A solution could be a mix of the two, but it’s a nascent idea:

“I just thought about it yesterday,” he said in an interview Thursday. It could look like schools getting a certain fixed amount for enrollment, and then some based on attendance. It could be a way to get the “best of both worlds” — with some funding stability, and some financial incentives for good attendance. 

Shea: Supports moving back to enrollment-based funding 

The fixed costs to run a school district are the same whether the students show up for school or not. “There are better ways for us to be encouraging our school districts to improve their attendance records,” she said. For example, there could be financial bonuses for good attendance, instead of financial hits for bad attendance.  

University of Idaho’s proposed University of Phoenix acquisition

The context: During the last session, legislators blocked the University of Idaho’s attempted $685 million acquisition of the University of Phoenix, a for-profit online university with a troubled history. The U of I will have another chance to make its case for the acquisition in 2025. 

Manwaring: For the acquisition, if the state is not held liable. 

“If we can come up with a way for (the U of I) to truly separate state liability, then I’m all for them trying to solve one of the problems we’ve asked higher ed to solve, and that is reaching more rural and online students,” he said. 

Shea: For the acquisition. 

Subbing in for Ruchti, Shea supported a bill to restructure the deal. The bill failed.

Supporting Native American students, new Indian Education position

The context: Critchfield is seeking funding in her 2025-26 budget request to expand the Indian education department from one employee to two.  The Pocatello/Chubbuck School District serves the largest number of Native American students in the state. 

Manwaring: For funding a second Indian Education employee

“We can do more to support Native students within our public school districts, but also on the reservation,” Manwaring said. “We need to continue to have really strong working relationships between the tribes and our school districts, but also allow them to participate in how we write curriculum … they need a seat at the table.”

Manwaring is a board member and vice president of the Lillian Vallely Youth Foundation, which aims to help “Native American children build a bridge to their future success.”

Shea: For funding a second Indian Education employee

She said she is “100%” in favor of funding the position. It’s important that the tribes have representatives at the state level who can help educate about cultural differences and how they might impact learning outcomes and styles “and make sure that we are meeting those needs.”

Freeing up state funding for preschool students

The context: Currently, state dollars can only go to children 5 and older. That’s partly due to a piece of Idaho code that determines school age as beginning at 5.  The districts that offer preschool generally pay for it with local taxes, grants, or enrollment fees. Some school leaders want legislators to allow them to use existing state dollars for preschool if they choose to do so. 

Manwaring: Open to it. 

Manwaring said he would be “inclined to support something like that,” but would want more details, and pointed out that it would need to be lawful. 

Shea: In favor. 

 “I would 100% support that,” she said. 

Four- vs. five-day weeks

The context: Most Idaho school districts have four-day school weeks, and more switch to four-day weeks each year. Legislators unsuccessfully tried to cap that trend during the last session, but ultimately retained local control as long as instructional minimums are met. 

Read more about the trend toward four-day school weeks in EdNews’ ongoing special series. 

Manwaring: For local control (let districts decide).

But districts must meet the minimums established by the Legislature for hours and/or days. 

Shea: For local control. 

While Shea has some concerns about four-day weeks, such as families struggling to find child care on the fifth weekday, she said she would support leaving the decision to local school leaders. 

Funding higher education, including colleges, universities and programs like Idaho Launch

The context: New language in the Republican Party platform says party members “do not support using taxpayer funding for programs beyond high school.” Scott Tilmant, who wrote that amendment, told EdNews that “government should not be involved in ‘higher education’ at all.”

Manwaring: For state funding of higher education

Idaho colleges and universities “provide an excellent value and return on investment,” Manwaring wrote in a response to an EdNews candidate survey.

“With Idaho Launch and other available scholarships, we have removed most of the primary financial barriers for Idaho students to get postsecondary career training and qualify for an Idaho job without going into debt,” he continued. “This is a recipe for better financial security and success for families. We must continue to support higher education in Idaho.”

Shea: For state funding of higher education

Initiatives like Launch “provide critical opportunities for Idaho’s students, particularly those from low- and middle-income families, to pursue higher education or workforce training,” Shea wrote in a candidate survey response. 

To learn more about Manwaring and Shea’s stances in other areas, check out this article from the Idaho Capital Sun: 2024 races to watch: Will Idaho’s legislative district 29 become an all-blue district?

Data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report.