Senate committee advances SB 1025 after contentious hearing on expanded vouchers, red‑tape relief and special‑education funding

Boise — The Idaho Senate Education Committee voted to send Senate Bill 1025 to the full Senate with no committee recommendation after a contested hearing that ran through public testimony and more than an hour of debate.

The motion to advance the bill passed on a roll call after senators and dozens of witnesses debated whether the measure properly balances parental choice, accountability and the needs of public schools.

What the bill would do (sponsor summary)

Senator Dave Lent (R‑District 33), who presented the bill, described SB 1025 as a multi‑part package intended to set a threshold of accountability for private schools that receive public funding, simplify some reporting obligations for public schools, and direct additional funding toward special education. Key provisions Lent highlighted:

- Expand the Empowering Parents grant (often called an EPG): Payments intended to give families flexible education funding would increase from prior amounts. The bill sets a grant value of $5,000 per eligible student, with a $1,000 limit for technology purchases and a per‑household cap of $15,000. The sponsor framed the increase as targeting lower‑income families: the draft assigns 75% of funds to households with adjusted gross income under $60,000, 20% to those $60,000–$80,000, and 5% above $80,000.

- Program eligibility and oversight: Participating nonpublic schools must be associated with an accreditation body recognized by the State Board of…