Save Our Schools Town Hall held in Soda
Josh Wheeler, who voted against HB 93 addressed the audience. Senator Mark Harris, who was also there, avoted no as well.
Idaho House Bill 93, which became law during the last legislative session, was designed to provide tax credits for non public school families to offset education costs. The bill is in effect for the upcoming school year, and there is concern on the part of public school entities, support organizations, and citizens at large about the potential effect that the bill will have on public school services.
HB 93 is considered to be the state’s first attempt at a “voucher” style education initiative, which is part of what is broadly termed the “School Choice” umbrella of legislative priorities. The practical effects of the bill are to provide funding from state educational funds to be directed toward payments of $5000 for each student, or $7500 for each special needs student that is not enrolled in public school but is either being homeschooled or in a private educational facility.
The organization Save Our Schools, which is comprised of representatives of many of the stakeholders mentioned above, has organized a series of town hall events around the state to meet with parents and community members in order to provide information about the bill and answer questions about it as well.
The group sponsored a town hall meeting hosted by moderator Sonia Galaviz of Kellogg, Idaho, who represents District 16 in the state legislature. Sonia Galaviz voted against the bill, partly on the grounds that it was a program administrated by the state tax commission, which does not have any history or experience with educational programs of this type, and partly due to the way that, in her view, the bill privileges larger, wealthier districts over smaller, more rural ones as a result of its implementation.
The town halls bring together representatives of the local education field, which in the case of Soda Springs included SSHS teacher Alan Erickson, Thirkill teacher Summer Fullmer, and School Board trustee Mike Veile.
Each of the panelists was given a chance to introduce themselves and explain their background and history with education, as well as their feelings about the passage of HB 93.
Among the panel members, there was some agreement on the point that the bill offered less accountability and transparency than any of the speakers were comfortable with. The low threshold for homeschool oversight in conjunction with the bill was seen as a major problem, and one that presented a large potential for abuse, or at least mismanagement.
The panelists largely agreed that while there were many examples of highly skilled parents capable of effectively homeschooling their children, the bill may incentivize those less qualified to leave public schools in pursuit of the program without sufficient support or experience.
The panelists also noted that before funding alternatives to public school by preference, it would be wise to increase the support given to existing public school entities.
Members of the public were given a chance to ask questions of the panelists as well, and the important question of why exactly there was so much interest in leaving public schools was raised. The underlying point, raised by several speakers, was that interest in school choice pointed to at least the potential for the need to redress some of what are perceived as failings of the public school system.
Those points represented a broader exploration of the public education issue, while the narrower point of the bill itself was the immediate agenda of the townhall. Caribou County State Senator Mark Harris and Representative Josh Wheeler, who also voted against the bill, were present to discuss their votes.
“This bill grows government. It creates two education systems instead of one, essentially,” Senator Harris noted. “We tried to stop it, but we didn’t have the votes to do it.”
Representative Wheeler agreed. “I just didn’t see any way this legislation would benefit the school districts I serve,” he said.
There were many points raised in the course of the discussion, and as the school year gets underway, we will return to some of those as they become increasingly impactful.
