Idaho governor announces school choice grants
Benefits of the program and the need for parental input discussed at a news conference Tuesday morning
BOISE — Idaho Gov. Brad Little joined legislative and state education leaders Tuesday morning to announce the formation of an advisory council for the Empowering Parents grant program.
The Parent Advisory Council would counsel the State Board of Education on ways to improve the grant program.
The announcement came less than two hours after a proposal was made to the House Education Committee that would expand the grant program to also pay for private school tuition. Little said he wouldn’t comment on the specific legislation but was against the idea of taking money for public education and putting it toward private institutions.
Another school choice bill was voted down in the Senate on Monday.
“In essence, they’re taking food out of the mouths of a program that we know is going to work,” Little said.
In his proposed budget, Little recommended $30 million in ongoing funding to make the Empowering Parents program permanent. It was created last year to provide grants for education needs, from tutoring to technology. The grants can be as much as $1,000 per student or $3,000 per family.
Continuation of the program would require legislative approval this session. The budget joint committee members have indicated they will take up education budgets last, Little previously said.
The advisory council will be tasked with strengthening the program, Little said Tuesday. It would be comprised of seven members from across the state — three appointed by the governor, two by the Senate pro tem, and two by the House speaker. Applications to be on the council will be accepted through April 3.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield would be the nonvoting chairperson of the council.
“We’ve heard a lot about choice. We’ve heard a lot about where our taxpayer dollars should go, and we’ve heard from legislators, we’ve heard from policy makers, we’ve heard from special interest groups that are here in our state. We’ve heard from interest groups outside of the state,” Critchfield said. “We’ve been missing a voice, a very powerful voice, and that is from our parents.”
Parents of K-12 students in Idaho can apply to be on the council, with preference for parents who have applied for funds or who intend to. Members will be announced May 15.
Critchfield and the members will travel the state over the summer to meet with Idaho families and hear their input in the grant program. The advisory council will then create a report to present to the State Board of Education in the fall.
“We’re going to get real feedback from the parents who are actually using this program,” said Kurt Liebich, president of the state education board. “And when they bring those recommendations forward to us, it will be the driver for how we continue to improve it.”
Information about the council and the grant program can be found at empoweringparents.idaho.gov.
Guido covers Idaho politics for the Lewiston Tribune, Moscow-Pullman Daily News and Idaho Press of Nampa. She may be contacted at lguido@idahopress.com and can be found on Twitter @EyeOnBoiseGuido.
