Idaho Education Association President Peggy Hoy released the following statement on behalf of IEA’s thousands of educator members in reaction to the Idaho Tax Commission’s report on Idaho’s so-called Parental Choice Tax Credit Program:
"The Tax Commission’s own numbers confirm what IEA members have warned about from the start. Nearly $50 million in public money went to private school vouchers, and those vouchers aren’t expanding opportunity, as voucher proponents insisted they would. Three out of four voucher recipients never attended an Idaho public school, and more than half of the families awarded earn above 300 percent of the federal poverty level.
"Look at where the money went. Two-thirds of it went to just three urban counties, leaving rural Idaho, where many communities have no private schools at all, largely shut out. At least $28 million paid for tuition at religious schools. Idahoans should not be forced to subsidize someone else’s faith with their tax dollars.
"Every voucher dollar is a dollar not spent on the public schools that serve nearly 300,000 Idaho students no matter where they live, their abilities or their religion. Just like in every other state that has adopted them, vouchers in Idaho have proven to be a subsidy for wealthy families in urban areas who want all Idahoans to pay for their children’s elitist education or their family’s religious beliefs. This voucher scheme clearly violates the well-established separation of church and state that protects our religious liberties.
"Not one more cent of Idahoans’ hard-earned tax dollars should go to vouchers. In fact, this failed experiment should be repealed, and Idaho lawmakers should make a real commitment to the public schools that serve all communities and welcome every child."
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CONTACT: Mike Journee
(208) 514-5041
