Idaho Home Learning Academy director outlines virtual-charter model, funding and special-education challenges

Terry Sorensen, executive director of Idaho Home Learning Academy, told the House Education Committee on the morning the program operates as a statewide public virtual charter that provides parents of enrolled students an education savings account worth $1,800 per student per year and partners with three educational service providers to deliver curriculum and services.

The presentation centered on how the program combines parent-led, at-home instruction with certified teachers and district authorization. "My name is Terry Sorensen. I'm the Executive Director of Idaho Home Learning Academy," Sorensen said at the start of her remarks. Sorensen and ILA staff described academic, fiscal and student-outcome accountability measures the program uses, and answered lawmakers' questions about enrollment, funding, special education and testing.

ILA, Sorensen said, is authorized through Oneida School District and serves K-12 students across Idaho. The program transitioned to a charter school this school year. Sorensen said ILA partners with three educational service providers—Harmony Education (K-8 focus), Braintree Learning (K-12, including entrepreneurship and computer-based electives) and HomeEd360 (offers more in-person and weekly Zoom options). She said the partners provide curriculum, field trips, testing coordination and manage parents' ESA expenses under contracts with the school.

Sorensen described the student experience as a mixture of synchronous teacher-led instruction, self-paced asynchronous work and optional in-person activities and clubs. She said state-required testing is administered to enrolled students, including the IRI and ISAT and other screeners the program uses. "All of our students to remain in our program are required to take the IRI, the ISAT and the Lehi screeners," Sorensen said.

On funding and scale, lawmakers pressed for specifics. Sorensen said the $1,800 ESA is provided to parents for each enrolled student. Committee members and staff discussed ILA's overall enrollment and per-unit funding: Sorensen said, "We have 7,925 students last time I counted them," and other committee members calculated potential ESA totals based on similar enrollment figures. Sorensen said the program uses the state's per-unit funding model: Oneida School District employs the certified teachers and receives state allocations; ILA divides funding among the district, the program's staff and its contracted partners.

Committee members asked about the dollar amounts paid to educational service providers. Sorensen and ILA staff said contract rates are calculated per unit of students. Sorensen said K–8 service contracts run about $62,000 per unit and high-school contracts about $52,500 per unit (these figures were stated by ILA representatives during questioning). ILA staff estimated the district and partners will expend about $20,000,000 on partner-provided programs and services in the current year.

Members also questioned staffing and administration. ILA representatives said the school employs approximately 280 K–8 teachers and about 90 high-school certified teachers through Oneida School District, plus special-education staff. Sorensen said the program serves "over 600" special-education students and has roughly 23 special-education teachers and six special-education administrators.

Lawmakers asked about student outcomes. Committee members noted areas of low proficiency in some grades and subjects recorded on state assessments; ILA officials said math proficiency remains a challenge, particularly in lower grades, and that many students who enroll come from traditional homeschool backgrounds and may not have been prepared for standardized testing. Sorensen pointed to higher proficiency levels in some upper-grade subjects: "You'll notice that eleventh grade ELA is 68%, which is on state average," she said, while acknowledging room for improvement in math.

A recurring policy point was statutory limits on charter expansion. Sorensen told the committee she would like the statutory cap on charter units—cited in testimony as "30 3-52-7"—removed or modified so ILA could grow without turning away students. Sorensen said former Senator Thain has drafted a parent-supported instruction proposal intended to codify elements of ILA's model and make it easier for other districts to replicate.

On special-education compliance, Sorensen and Oneida Superintendent Eric Abrams told lawmakers that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the State Department's interpretation of federal child-find and special-education requirements have been a major operational constraint. Sorensen said the program is under additional scrutiny and corrective action related to child-find processes and that the interpretation has required adjustments in how the program documents instruction and intervention. "For us one of the biggest tying things has been the challenge... the Federal IDEA law," Sorensen said.

Committee members followed with detailed questions about contracts, the relationship between ILA and Oneida School District, transportation funding for virtual students, and use of Empowering Parents grants. ILA representatives said federal special-education funds flow to the authorizing district and that ILA coordinates services and billing with Oneida under that arrangement.

The hearing concluded with committee members asking staff for follow-up information and ILA offering to provide its draft bill language and additional documents. Sorensen and ILA staff left legislators with a white paper and contact information for follow-up questions.