A surprising promise on private school choice.

Negotiable promises on choice, tax relief and education funding.

Those are two takeaways from a State of the State address built on the theme of keeping promises.

Gov. Brad Little began his seventh legislative session as governor by earmarking $50 million for private school choice, $100 million for tax cuts and $50 million for a menu of education programs. Little left himself plenty of room to negotiate with lawmakers.

The $50 million private school proposal came seemingly out of nowhere. For six years, Little has sidestepped the idea of siphoning public dollars into private schools, instead touting existing education options such as charter schools and homeschooling. During a question-and-answer session with Statehouse reporters Friday, Little was evasive on private school choice, offering no inkling of a change of mind.

Yet on Monday, Little acknowledged what he called a “growing desire” to expand school choice. He expressed no preference about approach: an education savings account proposal, a tax credit or some other school choice vehicle.

Little’s $50 million figure lines up precisely with another private school tax credit proposal, unveiled Monday morning. “We think this is the right step that we can win this year,” said Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, who proposed a similar bill in 2024.

Little chose his words delicately Monday. He said he would only support a private school choice bill that is “fair, responsible, transparent and accountable” — conditions that would, in theory, give him a lot of latitude to oppose something. And in one sentence Monday, he cautioned that he doesn’t consider private school choice a panacea. “Together, we will ensure the best education in Idaho is in a public school.”

Those qualifiers were of no comfort to the Idaho Education Association and legislative Democrats, who again painted private school choice as a threat to public education. House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Idaho, castigated Little for “seemingly folding to (the) out-of-state special interests” that have pressed the private school choice issue for years.

Little kept at least one promise Monday, one he jokingly made from the podium. At a spare 22 minutes, Monday’s speech was easily the shortest of Little’s seven State of the State addresses. Despite this brevity, Little worked in 10 references, by name, to President-elect Donald Trump, and packed in several servings of political red meat.

• Little made a point of revisiting the national debate over transgender athletics, drawing an ovation when he praised Boise State University’s women’s volleyball program. The Boise State team forfeited three matches last fall against San José State University, which reportedly had a transgender athlete on its roster. “Generations have worked hard to guarantee our girls and women can play fair and square,” Little said Monday. “To our female athletes, we will continue to fight for you.”
• Gearing up for another battle over Idaho Launch, Little tried to head off continued opposition from Statehouse hardliners by couching the ongoing $75 million postsecondary incentives request in MAGA terms. “President Trump himself said, ‘We must embrace new and effective job-training approaches.’ Mr. President, we welcome the opportunity to work with you to structure innovative, effective workforce training programs like Idaho’s Launch across the nation.”
• In a handout on his budget priorities, Little trotted out a well-worn and all-but-outmoded pejorative — “Keeping up the fight against Bidenflation” — to tout a plan for an additional $100 million in tax relief. As with private school choice, Little was nonspecific, suggesting he could live with income tax relief, property tax relief, or cutting the sales tax on groceries.

Nonspecifics were a recurring theme from Monday, which also gives lawmakers plenty of  room of their own to negotiate.

House Republican leaders are already gravitating behind a refundable tax credit for private school tuition — with Horman saying the threat of criminal charges for tax fraud will build accountability into the system.

House Speaker Mike Moyle, a longtime Launch skeptic, threw cold water on Little’s proposal to spend $25 million to build up workforce training, career-technical programs and community college capacity — a plan that drew early praise from State Board of Education President Linda Clark. Before spending more money, Moyle said he wants a better handle on the Launch money already going out for financial aid. “I can assure you Launch will be looked at,” said Moyle, R-Star.

Moyle also made it clear he doesn’t want tax relief to stop at $100 million. “I think it’s a good start. I’d like to go three times that.”

Also up for grabs — and open to negotiation — is the $50 million Little wants to put into “gap funding” for K-12. Little wants to use the money into rural school facilities, student mental health, school safety and literacy accountability, but he didn’t spell out a spending breakdown. “To be really honest, the $50 million isn’t a lot, but it is a start,” said Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking, D-Boise, who is working on a bipartisan bill to try to put more money into rural facilities.

This session is not Little’s first rodeo as governor; it’s his seventh. That much was evident Monday, as he approached his State of the State address as the opening of negotiations with legislators.

A general statement of promises. Which doesn’t necessarily promise a short and smooth legislative session.

More reading: Full coverage of Little’s speech.

Kevin Richert writes a weekly analysis on education policy and education politics. Look for his stories each Thursday.