Public schools vs. vouchers

With so many investments going to education, some legislators are already making a run to change Idaho's education system to a voucher system. This is concerning for many reasons:

• Idaho is already ranked in the top 3 for school choice by the conservative Heritage Foundation.

• A voucher system would inevitably cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars in the long-term and siphon money away from our already struggling public schools.

  • Our public schools are already vastly underfunded compared to other states and are one billion dollars behind in needed facility improvements.

  • We have a serious issue with teacher and paraprofessional retention due to low pay and rising cost of living.

  • Class sizes are already pushing 40 students in many public schools due to lack of funding and a reliance on the passage of bonds for new schools to be built.

• Voucher systems disadvantage rural areas, which don't have access to private schools.

• Public schools are held to set standards which can be evaluated and monitored for performance and commitment to mission-first (not profit-first).

• Private schools can pick and choose their students, and there is no mechanism to move funds from private to public kids if they get kicked out.

• There is no research showing private school kids perform better in the short or long-term.

• ….and the list could go on.

This session, it's going to be important to protect our education system in the face of many pro-voucher efforts.

Here is additional reading about why vouchers are detrimental effects to our education.