UPDATE: Governor Brad Little makes decision on House Bill 93

BOISE, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 93, or the “Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit” into law on Thursday.

The law would provide an annual, refundable tax credit of up to $5,000 for “qualified expenses” for grade school children and $7,500 for students with disabilities. The expenses include nonpublic school tuition, tutoring, textbooks and other costs.

House Bill 93 contains an emergency clause, which means the law is retroactive to January 1, 2025.

KMVT previously spoke with House Majority Leader Jason Monks, one of the state representatives who helped introduce the bill, about why this was important to introduce during this legislative session.

“I want to have a better education, a better experience for kids, and school choice will provide that,” Rep. Monks said.

Democratic Minority Leader Ilana Rubel argued that the Republican school choice plan is less about choice and would funnel taxpayer money away from public schools.

“We already offer so many forms of school choice in Idaho,” Rubel said. “What I am opposed to is taking public funds, public taxpayer money and giving it to private schools that are not accountable to the same standards that public schools are.”

Idaho already has open enrollment, which allows students to attend any public school in the state if there is room.

Rubel also raised concerns about the actual cost, pointing to another western state that passed school choice.

“Let’s look at Arizona’s voucher system,” Rubel said. “It was initially promised that it would cost $60 million a year, it is now costing $825 million a year.”

House Bill 93 states that it will have a maximum fiscal impact of $50 million.

KMVT also previously spoke with the superintendents of the Kimberly, Twin Falls, and Blaine County School Districts to get their thoughts on school choice, and what could happen if it becomes state law.

“Often times it becomes difficult for small rural communities to fund education, and it’s going to be detrimental to those communities because they’ll have to fund private schools, but they won’t be able to take advantage of it,” said Kimberly School District’s Superintendent Luke Schroeder.

“In terms of funding school of choice, it could lead to additional reduction in enrollment, and that’s fine if we see some drop in enrollment,” said Twin Falls School District Superintendent Brady Dickinson. “My bigger fear is that a tax credit or voucher systems starts out small but could end up becoming a real problem down the road.”

“There won’t be a significant shift in student population. If this legislation passes, depending on what bill passes, the legislation out of the house would simply put dollars back in the pockets of families who are already paying private school tuition and would have no impact on the enrollment of the school district,” said Blaine County Superintendent Jim Foudy.

During his January State of the State address, Gov. Little said he would only consider a proposal that meets the same standards as public schools.

“Any school of choice measure must be done the Idaho way,” Gov. Little said. “That means that it is fair, responsible, transparent and accountable. It must prioritize the families that need it most and not take away funds from public schools.”

The Governor’s office released this statement after signing House Bill 93 into law:

“With the passage of the $50 million Parental Choice Tax Credit program, Idaho boasts even more abundant schooling options for Idaho students and families. Combined with the continuation of Idaho’s astoundingly successful LAUNCH program, Idaho has become the first state to offer education freedom from kindergarten through career. Idaho’s commitment to education is growing every year. I am proud that we have put close to $17 BILLION into our K-12 public school system since I took office and increased public school funding by close to 60 percent in just a few years. Our investments in education initiatives have increased 80 percent overall since my first year in office. In addition, Idaho ranks first in the nation for our return on investment in public schools. Idaho can have it all – strong public schools AND education freedom. Providing high-quality education for Idaho students will always be our top priority.”

In response to Gov. Brad Little signing House Bill 93, Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea released the following statement:

“Brad Little cares more about appeasing out-of-state billionaires than protecting Idaho students and neighborhood schools. Idahoans saw this voucher scheme for what it was: a blatant attack on public education. They flooded his office with calls opposing it by a 10-to-1 margin because they knew the truth. Vouchers drain critical funding from public schools while providing no accountability to taxpayers or families. Other states have learned the hard way that voucher schemes lower student achievement and explode state budgets. Instead of standing with the people he was elected to serve, Little caved to billionaire-backed lobbyists determined to dismantle public education. Idahoans deserve leaders who fight for them, not politicians who sell them out.”

Statement from Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield on the signing of HB 93:

“Today is an opportunity to remember that public schools are and will continue to be the schools of choice for the vast majority of Idaho parents and that we need to ensure the highest level of support for all parent choices, including those in public education.

For our dedicated educators and school leaders who are committed to doing everything they can to prepare Idaho kids for success, I say thank you."

The Senate Republican Caucus released a statement which reads in part:

“The Senate Republican Caucus holds true to its commitment to ensure parents have excellent options for their children’s unique educational needs while minimizing government intervention. By harnessing free-market forces, the tax credit will simultaneously lower the per-student taxpayer cost and open up limitless innovative education options to the students of Idaho. The bill advances the Caucus' core priority of bolstering education freedom. ‘The Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit not only alleviates the tax burden on Idaho families, but also ensures that all students, including those with special needs, have access to the resources that will best support them,’ comments one of the bill’s sponsors, Senator Lori Den Hartog. ‘We believe that parents should have the freedom to choose the best educational path for their individual children. This is a victory for parental rights and the future of education in Idaho.’ The fruition of House Bill 93 marks a pivotal milestone in Idaho education, reflecting the state’s dedication to supporting greater educational choice and flexibility for Idaho families.”

Idaho Education Association (IEA) President Layne McInelly released the following statement on behalf of IEA’s thousands of educator members in reaction to Gov. Brad Little’s signing of House Bill 93:

“Bringing vouchers to Idaho is a huge mistake. House Bill 93 is just the beginning. Voucher proponents — eager to help out-of-state billionaires plunder Idaho’s public school budget — are already planning how to exploit and expand this program during 2026’s legislative session. Each year, they will try to siphon more and more tax dollars away from public schools as a gift to private and religious schools and their patrons. It’s a well-worn pattern that has already played out in every other state that has adopted these taxpayer-funded subsidies for the wealthy. But as they have since 1892, IEA members stand on the right side of history in support of an equitable and free public education for all. They won’t stop now. Our members will fight every step of the way to limit and roll back the damage caused by this legislation. They will wade into electoral politics with renewed vigor to ensure future Idaho Legislatures support students and public schools — not out-of-state lobbyists and their billionaire benefactors. No one fights for public schools like IEA members.”

KMVT also spoke with a local private school and homeschool group of the potential impacts school choice could have on them. You can find that coverage here.

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