On Jan. 19-20, more than 200 Idaho Education Association members from every corner of the state will flood the Idaho Statehouse for IEA’s annual Lobby Day.
The crowd will be one of the biggest ever for the event, and it will face lawmakers who are determined to pass private school vouchers – and are expected to take up union busting in the near future.
IEA Lobby Day — traditionally held every year during the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday — is perhaps Idaho’s most important day of advocacy for public education. It’s a unique opportunity for Idaho policymakers to hear directly from energized educators about the support needed to create the free and equitable public schools that Idaho students deserve.
“Clearly, the attendance at this year’s Lobby Day shows how motivated our members are to fight unnecessary and wasteful bills like private school vouchers,” said IEA Political Director Chris Parri. “We’ve designed Lobby Day to maximize our members’ collective voice and their union’s influence at the Statehouse.”
Former Arizona Lawmaker to Warn About Arizona Voucher Disaster
Lobby Day kicks off on Jan. 19 with a dinner at the Grove Hotel in Downtown Boise. The night will feature a keynote speech by former Arizona State Rep. Joel John, a Republican who was the deciding vote for Arizona’s mammoth universal voucher program – a vote he has lived to regret. Since then, he has spent enormous time and political capital warning other states and lawmakers about the dangers private school vouchers cause to deficits and public school systems.
John will be joined for a panel discussion with representatives from Idaho Business for Education and the Idaho School Boards Association, who will talk about why their organizations have banded with IEA to fight voucher legislation yet again.
“Joel John really is the canary in the coal mine when it comes to vouchers,” Parri said. “Idaho lawmakers should be wary of being saddled with the same regret, and the same fiscal disaster, that their counterparts in other states are experiencing.”
Can’t Attend? You Can Support IEA Anyway
For members who can’t attend Lobby Day, be sure to take a look at IEA’s social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram, where members and IEA’s communications team will be posting regular updates that you can share with your audience.
“To really make the most of Lobby Day, we need support,” said IEA Social Media Organizer Pamela Craig. “Even if you can’t attend, please amplify the voices of those who are present at Lobby Day by reposting content from IEA, your local, and individual members who are in attendance. We want the public to know there is momentum behind the fight against vouchers and our members are unified in their opposition.”
