Idaho Home Learning Academy director describes statewide virtual charter model, funding and accountability to House committee

BOISE — Terry Sorenson, executive director of Idaho Home Learning Academy, told the Idaho House Education Committee that the statewide virtual public charter serves K‑12 students across Idaho, gives parents an education savings account of $1,800 per student, and delivers instruction through contracts with three educational service providers.

Sorenson said Idaho Home Learning Academy is authorized through Oneida School District and became a charter this school year to obtain a funding model she described as more workable for the program. "Parents have a greater role in their students' education," she said, describing parents as learning coaches who select curriculum and submit student artifacts to show mastery of state standards.

Why it matters: the academy’s model blends parental choice with public‑school oversight and raises questions about state funding, special education obligations under federal law and whether Idaho should loosen statutory limits on charter growth so the program can expand.

Sorenson described the academy’s instructional and accountability model. The program offers teacher‑led synchronous instruction, self‑paced asynchronous options and in‑person activities through partner providers. K‑8 students have a teacher check‑in every other week and submit portfolio artifacts the alternate weeks; high school students submit assignments weekly. She said all students take state‑required assessments including the IRI and ISAT. "We take all state required testing," Sorenson said.

Funding and partners: Sorenson said each parent receives an ESA of $1,800 per student per year to buy curricular and enrichment resources aligned to course schedules. The academy contracts with three educational service providers (ESPs): Harmony Education (focused on K‑8 asynchronous curriculum), Braintree Learning (K‑12, with entrepreneurship and computer‑based electives) and HomeEd 360 (Boise‑based, offering more face‑to‑face options). She said those partners provide program services beyond curriculum, including testing coordination, field trips and ESA administration.

On contract costs, Sorenson told the committee that her K‑8 ESP contracts are paid on a per‑unit basis and later estimated those contracts at about $62,000 per unit for K‑8 and about $52,500 per high‑school unit. Superintendent Abrams of Oneida School District told the committee the district expects to pay roughly $20 million to $21 million to partners this year to run the program.

Enrollment, staffing and special education: Sorenson said the program now serves roughly 7,900 students statewide and that relatively few students reside in the authorizing Oneida School District. She said the academy employs about 280 K‑8 teachers and about 90 high‑school teachers (employed by Oneida School District to meet state funding requirements). She also said the program has added special education capacity, naming roughly 23 special education teachers and six special education administrators.

Lawmakers’ questions and performance data: committee members pressed Sorenson on per‑student funding, partner fees, special education funding flows and academic outcomes. Representative Mathias cited 2024 proficiency figures and noted low math proficiency in some grades at the academy, saying, "5th grade math proficiency at ILA is under 18%. High school math proficiency rates are under 37%." Sorenson acknowledged math as a challenge for many families and noted higher relative performance in ELA at older grade levels.

Federal and state compliance issues: Sorenson and Oneida Superintendent Abrams said compliance with federal IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and state special‑education oversight has been a recurring challenge. Sorenson said some state interpretations of child‑find and related requirements limit how much choice parents may exercise over curriculum and instruction in the academy’s model. Abrams told the committee that the State Department’s special‑education office has imposed additional corrective actions on the academy and that those actions appeared applied inconsistently compared with other virtual programs.

Statutory cap and policy request: Sorenson told the committee that Idaho statute 33‑5207 (as referenced during her remarks) caps charter growth at 40 units, which she said could be reached soon and would force the program to turn away students. She said supporters are discussing legislative changes, including a proposal described as "parent supported instruction" to codify the academy’s model in state law.

Outcome: the presentation generated extensive committee questions but no formal committee action on policy. At the start of the record, the committee approved minutes from its Jan. 21, 2025 meeting by voice vote (motion carried), but no other votes or motions were taken on the academy during the hearing.

Looking ahead: Sorenson told members she and Oneida officials are available to provide written materials and meet with legislators as bills and proposals move through the session.