Our legislature has prioritized profit over people at every turn, and education is no exception. At a moment when Idaho public education is at its lowest point, our legislature has chosen to blame teachers unions, public schools, and cost. In short, everyone but the body that continues to cause the problem. Many of our more conservative legislators believe (wrongly) that public education is a breeding ground for political indoctrination. Some argue that if public schools tested as well as private ones, there would be no reason to fund private schools with taxpayer dollars. There’s no end to excuses these legislators use to justify House Bill 93, the private school voucher bill signed into law last year. The program redirects roughly $50 million in public money toward private and homeschool tuition.
I have seen the same headline everyone reading this has: “Idaho last in education.” I agree public education needs to change. We must be willing to try different approaches. But the best solutions come from those closest to the source. Listen to the teachers who advocate not just for themselves, but for their students. Project-based learning, for example, has taken root at schools across Idaho, including one in our own community. It could be a fresh approach that strengthens public schools. I don’t believe it’s the end-all, be-all, though. We need to pay attention to different learning styles. We must understand the root cause of why Idaho’s public education is suffering.
That root cause is improper funding, a shrinking tax revenue source, and rising standards our schools are given no resources to meet. Idaho ranks dead last in the nation for per-pupil funding, and our districts face a special education shortfall in the tens of millions. In the same session that produced the voucher, lawmakers had the chance to close that gap and chose not to. They underfund our schools, ask for unreasonable standards from underpaid teachers, then point to the results as proof the schools have failed. They want higher test scores but feign ignorance that public schools must serve every child with an IEP, as they should. Private schools can simply refuse those students.
Public education is for everyone, regardless of economic background. Our state constitution calls for equity in education, and our legislators refuse to provide the resources. Our state constitution calls for equity in education, and our legislators refuse to provide the resources. Private schools can take the wealthiest and “smartest,” and answer to no one for the outcome.
Idaho is dangerously at risk of creating a system where only the wealthiest have access to a quality education leaving behind not adults, not criminals, but children born into circumstances they cannot control. With private tuition far exceeding the credit offered, this was never going to open doors for a struggling family; it simply hands money to those who can already pay. Whether they intend to or not, our legislators send the message some children matter less, deserve less. They tell them the only way to succeed is to be born lucky.
Chance Marshall is a project management specialist and the president of the Bonneville County Young Democrats.