Proposed bill makes state funds available to students in private or homeschool
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IDAHO FALLS – A pair of Idaho lawmakers are drafting a bill that aims to target state education funds to individual students rather than public school budgets.
Senate Bill 1038, sponsored by Senator Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, and Senator Brian Lenney, R-Nampa, would create savings accounts for K-12 age children so that parents can access “the education services and environments that work best for their children.”
“Parents will be able to access and spend these funds on behalf of their child for approved educational expenses through an online platform,” the bill’s statement of purpose says.
The bill asks for $45 million from the state general fund to finance the first year of the program. Of that amount, $40 million would go directly to setting up the accounts. The other $5 million would be used for administrative costs for a digital platform.
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That amount breaks down to $5,950 per student, which is 80% of what’s made available to students in public schools.
Jason Richardson, the headteacher of a private school on the outskirts of Idaho Falls, was invited to Boise last week to testify before the Senate Education Committee about the proposed legislation. Richardson told those in attendance he is in favor of the bill because it will “provide more educational experiences for Idaho families in our community.”
Targeting education funds to individual students is something Richardson has been advocating for several years. His students helped draft similar legislation in 2021. One of the concerns with the previous legislation is that it would open a door for the state to start regulating homeschool curriculum. Richardson says one of the major differences with SB 1038 is that it prevents that from happening.
“It explicitly says the state would have no right to do that,” Richardson says. “And the funding can only be used for ‘approved educational expenses.'”
Richardson feels it has a good chance of getting passed because of that.
“I am excited to see this bill pass as it will allow families a more personal choice on how their children are educated and how dynamic new education models can be in Idaho,” Richardson said at last week’s hearing.
Richardson started teaching full-time at the Deseret Study Abroad Academy in 2019. The school is funded by a local family and focuses on traveling to the sites students learn about in class.
He and a group of 13 high school age students returned from a 20-day trip to Europe on Feb. 11, where they visited the site of the World War II D-Day invasion on Normandy Beach. They also visited sites in Athens, Greece; Italy and Paris, France.
They’re getting ready to take another trip to Thailand in April, where they’ll be building roads and other infrastructure for a small village.
“These kids spend their summers and spud harvest earning money for the trips,” Richardson explains.
The impact these experiences have on the kids is incredible, Richardson says, but the funding source is extremely limited. State funding would allow the program to continue and include more students, he says.
“It’s only possible because we have a temporary benefactor who covers some expenses and the overhead,” he says. “But what if more people in the state had the opportunity to do it? If we could just unleash it.”
“I can only imagine what great education will be available when funding opens up and allows other dedicated families and professionals to work outside of the traditional system,” Richardson adds in his written statement.
Matt Cardon, a local busisnessman, also spoke in favor of SB 1038 last Tuesday. Watch a portion of the hearing in the video above.
The committee is also hearing testimony from those opposed to this bill. All public input will be weighed before the committee votes on whether to send it to the Senate floor.