Idaho Gave Families $50M to Spend on Private Education. Then It Ended a $30M Program Used by Public School Families.

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In Idaho, a program that assisted public school students with laptops, school supplies, tutoring, and educational expenses has been terminated shortly after the state introduced a $50 million tax credit for private school tuition and homeschooling. The decision to defund the Empowering Parents grants was made by a Republican lawmaker, who insisted it was unrelated to the funding of private schools. However, the Idaho Freedom Foundation, a major conservative group supporting the private school tax credit, directly linked the two decisions.

The new tax credit system differs significantly from the grants that were eliminated. The tax credits are not available to public school students, unlike the grants that primarily benefited them. Furthermore, there is minimal state oversight on how the private education tax credits are utilized, while the grants required spending to be done with state-approved educational vendors.

The tax credit allows private and homeschooling families to reduce their tax burden by $5,000 per child or $7,500 per student with disabilities. Lower-income families receive priority, and there is no limit to the number of credits a family can claim. The funds must be used for traditional academic expenses like tuition, homeschool curricula, textbooks, and other approved costs, but families are not required to provide proof of expenditure unless audited.

Lawmakers repealed the Empowering Parents grant program, which provided up to $1,000 per student, benefiting predominantly public school students. The grants were open to all students, regardless of where they were learning. Education leaders and families who utilized the grant program voiced concerns about its termination, emphasizing the positive impact it had on students, particularly those from lower-income families.

Sen. Camille Blaylock, the legislator behind the bill to end the Empowering Parents program, defended her decision by stating that the grants were not in line with the government’s intended role. Despite her claim that the grants were drifting from their original purpose, the legislative record shows that the program was initially designed to assist lower-income students in accessing essential educational tools like computers.

Idaho Governor Brad Little, who praised the Empowering Parents program, eventually supported its repeal, citing the end of the pandemic and the program’s perceived success as reasons for termination. The decision to terminate the program has sparked debate and criticism from education leaders and families who benefited from the grants, emphasizing the program’s importance in providing essential resources for students’ education.