Senate education panel votes to print school‑choice bill RS 31,992 after sponsor outlines accountability and funding caps; Idaho Home Learning Academy testifies

At a meeting of the Idaho Senate Education Committee, members voted to print RS 31,992, a school‑choice proposal the sponsor said would add guardrails, capped funding and reporting changes to expand options for parents and students. Senator Dave Lent, the bill sponsor, described the measure as intended to be “fair, accountable, responsible, and transparent” and said it would add new dollars while building on the state’s existing Empowering Parents program.

The bill as described by Lent would add up to $50 million in new funding, layered on top of an existing $30 million in the Empowering Parents program, creating an $80 million overall program ceiling as written in the draft discussed in committee. Lent told the committee the proposal includes an accountability threshold for private and religious schools receiving public dollars, a hard cap of $50 million in new funding, and a proposal to remove state‑required reporting that is not tied to federal law in order to reduce administrative burden. He said the legislation also includes clarifications to open‑enrollment rules intended to manage special‑education placements and district capacity.

Committee action and vote

Senator Woodward moved to print routing slip RS 31,992 for drafting and public review; Senator Burton Shaw seconded the motion. Senator Ward‑Engelking said she would vote no, calling the measure “a voucher bill” and marking a line she would not cross. Senator Summerer said he would vote to print so the Legislature could define terms such as “fair” and “accountable” during subsequent deliberations. The motion to print passed;…