Local private school and homeschooler weigh in on school choice

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — The school choice tax credit proposal recently passed Idaho’s House of Representatives. However, the bill is currently being reviewed before a decision is made.

While decisions continue at the state Capitol, KMVT explored the potential impacts on local private schools and home-schoolers if lawmakers approve the bill.

“If we really had a choice, we could take our tax dollars‚ and educate our children in a way or a place that is best for our children,” said Mindy Petramalo, the head of Acton Academy.

The academy is a private school in Twin Falls. Petramalo said she is happy that Idaho already has school choices but feels the options are limited.

“In a way, the message that’s being sent is ‘You can have choice as long as our hands are in it,’” Petramalo said. “The funding follows the public sector.”

Petramalo believes that Idaho should have more opportunities for choice. She said House Bill 93 could help and benefit children’s education, especially those who want a private education.

“We have a lot of parents that to send their children here, but the big factor is the cost. They see the methods, they see the philosophies, they may have children that may learn in a different way, or they may see something better and if money wasn’t the issue or at least could help. Private school could take a bigger place in education.”

Some private schools in Idaho offer grants to help pay for tuition. However, the bill would provide an additional $5,000 annual refundable tax credit for “qualified expenses” for grade school children and $7,000 for special needs students.

This tax credit would also apply to parents who home-school their kids. However, some home-schoolers do not want it.

“We do not want any school choice legislation to pass in the state of Idaho,” said Aby Rinella of Homeschool Idaho. “We want to keep government money out of private educational choices.”

According to Rinella, school choice legislation eliminates all choices because it becomes a government-funded choice.

“School choice legislation would impact home-school hugely, it would be one more step and chip to remove the freedoms that we fought so hard for in the state of Idaho,” Rinella said. “With any tax money comes regulations, there has to be accountability with tax money, so there would regulations there would be accountability for all home-schoolers funded or unfunded and we do not want that.”

Rinella said that if the legislators want to establish a tax credit, they should allow people to choose how they want to use their tax dollars. She also said that the only people who would benefit from this bill are those who are willing to lose a little bit of freedom for money.

“Homeschools in the state of Idaho only want one thing and that is nothing. We do not want anything. We’re the only people that show up to the state house asking for nothing. We want to be trusted in the state of Idaho like we’ve always been to educate our kids completely and totally free.”

Rinella and Homeschool Idaho urge legislators to open the floor for dialogue before passing the bill.

“Whether they agree with us or don’t agree with us, we’ll take any meeting to share the voice of the home-schoolers in Idaho and how important freedom is to us.”

House Bill 93 was read for the first time in the Senate on Monday and referred to local government and taxation. The committee will address the bill on Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m.

Legislators will open the floor for public testimony. Click here to sign up to give or submit a written testimony.

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