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; members voted to send the bill to print for formal drafting and committee consideration.

Idaho Home Learning Academy testimony

After the bill discussion, the committee heard from Terry Sorensen, executive director of Idaho Home Learning Academy (IHLA), a statewide public virtual charter authorized under Oneida School District. Sorensen described IHLA as a K–12 public virtual program that provides an online, standards‑aligned curriculum, teacher check‑ins and an electronic portfolio system. “Idaho Home Learning Academy is part of an educational choice movement in Idaho,” Sorensen said, adding that IHLA serves students who learn at home while remaining public school students.

Sorensen told senators IHLA provides a $1,800 per‑student education savings account (ESA) that families use to purchase approved instructional materials and supplemental services through contracted educational service providers. She said IHLA contracts with three providers — Harmony Education (K–8), Braintree Educational Services (K–12) and HomeEd360 (K–8) — that deliver curriculum, manage state testing logistics and administer direct‑buy accounts or reimbursements for approved purchases.

Financial and accountability details discussed

During extended questioning by committee members, Sorensen said IHLA’s total budget is approximately $55 million for the current year and that IHLA expects to pay roughly $21 million to its contracted service providers; she estimated about $14 million of that amount returns to families’ ESA accounts for approved purchases. Sorensen said IHLA receives no separate facilities funding (the $400 per‑student charter facilities allocation), and that IHLA students generate units under the state funding formula in the same way as other public school students. She said IHLA reported roughly 7,925 enrolled students in the most recent period and estimated the district generated about 375 units.

Sorensen described three strands of IHLA accountability: fiscal tracking of approved purchases, academic monitoring through regular teacher check‑ins and submitted artifacts (K–8 check‑ins twice monthly; high‑school work submitted weekly), and required state testing (IRI, ISAT and dyslexia screening). She told the committee IHLA provides special education services, English‑learner supports and interventionists and pairs certified teachers with parent learning coaches.

Several senators pressed for specific budget breakdowns and for clarity on how parent purchases are authorized. Sorensen described the ESA mechanism as administered by the contracted providers (direct buys through vendor accounts, or parent purchases with receipts for reimbursement) and said IHLA tracks direct buys and reimbursed receipts; she acknowledged she could not speak to overlapping reimbursements through the state’s Empowering Parents grant and invited committee follow‑up for detailed budget documents.

Legal and operational issues raised

Senator Woodward and others asked whether IHLA’s ESA‑style distributions to parents require statutory authorization. Sorensen said IHLA operates as a public charter school that contracts with service providers who in turn manage the accounts; Superintendent Abrams of Oneida School District told the committee IHLA’s intention is that payments go to the institution or provider and that reimbursements are handled through that contractual relationship. The committee discussed whether Idaho code needs clarification about direct payments or reimbursements to parents; committee members requested that staff and IHLA provide a detailed budget and legal clarification as a follow up.

Superintendent Abrams also told the committee Oneida School District is currently in litigation with the state concerning retroactive changes to funding tied to prior legislation on bond equalization (disagreements over money the district expected under prior law). Abrams said the district’s suit seeks funds it contends were promised and later withheld retroactively; he emphasized the dispute concerns a retroactive change rather than future funding.

What’s next

Printing RS 31,992 moves the measure into formal bill drafting and provides legislators and the public an opportunity to review the text and return to committee for hearings on specifics. Committee members asked staff and IHLA leaders to supply a detailed budget breakdown and clarifications on ESA administration, residency verification, and overlap (if any) with Empowering Parents reimbursements. Senator Summerer and other members said printing the bill is intended to begin the detailed process of defining accountability and transparency standards in statute.

Ending

Senators closed the meeting after agreeing to follow up on budget and legal questions; IHLA offered to supply exact budget documents and to meet with committee staff for additional detail.