KEEP PUBLIC DOLLARS IN PUBLIC SCHOOL CLASSROOMS
Vouchers are taxpayer-funded government subsidies for private schools and vendors that syphon scarce and desperately needed tax dollars away from public school classrooms.
Join with the Idaho Education Association and fellow organizations that oppose private school vouchers…
Idaho School Board Association
Idaho Association of School Administrators
Idaho Business for Education
Idaho State Department of Education
Southern Idaho Conference (SIC) Superintendent
American Association of University Women-Idaho
Idaho PTA
ACLU Idaho
Idaho State Board of Education
Vouchers reduce fair access to education, provide no educational benefit to students and offer no accountability to taxpayers.
Often proposed under seemingly benign labels like “scholarships,” “school choice” or “parental choice,” vouchers are particularly troublesome for rural schools and less affluent areas, where school resources are scarce and students and families have fewer, if any, non-public school education choices than more affluent urban areas. Taking tax dollars from rural public schools to help a select few pay private school tuition in urban areas is unfair and leaves too many hard-working Idaho families vulnerable.
IEA members support quality school choice and innovative programs within Idaho's constitutionally protected public school system.
Watch this video to learn how the growing trend of sending public money to private schools through vouchers and tax credit scholarships threatens public education.
What do our best public schools look like?
Qualified Experts
They have certified teachers, caring and supportive staff who create a welcoming environment for students and families
Counselors
They have qualified counselors who help students flourish.
A Well-Rounded Education
Classes that offer college credit, band, theater, athletics, science labs, foreign languages, robotics and much more.
Let’s invest in making all of our public schools look like this rather than private school vouchers that only help a select few. Good public schools can unlock students potential and prepare them for lifelong success.
Private School Vouchers Siphon Resources Away from Public Schools
Public tax dollars should not be used to pay for a select few to attend private schools.
Rural Schools Would be Particularly
Hard Hit
Rural Schools would be decimated by reductions to Idaho’s general fund, which is the primary source of public school funding.
Idaho is already 49th of 50 states in per-pupil funding
We should focus on investing in public schools, where 97% of Idaho children go, not on diverting money to 3% who attend private schools
Idaho can't afford to support two education systems - one public and one private
Higher Taxes? Or Less Money for Public Schools?

Voucher Case Studies
On negative effects of vouchers
Participation in a voucher program does not improve student achievement, and may indeed impair academic performance. In Indiana and Louisiana, students who received vouchers had lower test scores than their peers who stayed in public school.
A Case Study for Betsy DeVos's Educational Utopia
After a voucher program was enacted in Nevada, research showed that the majority of applicants to the program were student from wealthy ZIP codes who already had access to top-performing public schools. Read Story.
Vouchers and Public School Performance
In instances where programs have seemed successful on the surface, digging deeper shows that improved student performance is sporadic, at best, with research pointing toward the need for more concrete evidence. Read Story.
The Promise and Peril of School Vouchers
The reality is vouchers won’t go to the children that need the most help anyway. Places that are experimenting with vouchers revealed many students who receive them are already attending private schools. Read Story.
Public schools welcome all students and strive to serve and educate each child.
Private schools can reject students based on economic status, academic achievement, disabilities, English proficiency, immigration status, sexual orientation, or gender. Join our list and stay informed on vouchers. Thanks for supporting Idaho public schools!