Idaho Home Learning Academy director outlines program model, funding and oversight questions

Terry Sorensen, executive director of the Idaho Home Learning Academy (IHLA), told the Senate Education Committee that IHLA is a statewide public virtual charter authorized under Oneida School District and serves students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Sorensen said the program provides parents an $1,800 educational savings account (ESA) per student per year for curriculum and approved learning resources, and that families may access those funds via direct purchase through IHLA's contracted educational service providers or by submitting receipts for reimbursement. "Nobody's given money" directly to parents, she said; rather, service providers account for purchases and the amount is subtracted from the family's ESA balance.

Sorensen described IHLA as a mastery‑based program that requires student work submissions to certified teachers: K–8 students have scheduled check‑ins with teachers and submit artifacts to an electronic portfolio on alternating weeks; high‑school students submit work weekly. She said all IHLA students take state‑required assessments (IRI, ISAT) and other screeners and that IHLA maintains academic intervention staff for students who need extra support. "We are a public school," Sorensen said, describing IHLA's combination of certified teachers, administrators, counselors, special‑education staff and interventionists.

Senators pressed for fiscal and oversight detail. Sorensen said IHLA contracts with three educational service providers (Harmony Education, Braintree Educational Services, and HomeEd360). She said the providers receive per‑unit payments under contract and that a portion of those payments is used to provide the parent ESA purchases. Sorensen estimated IHLA's current enrollment at about 7,925 students, said the district would pay providers about $21 million this year, and gave a ballpark total budget of roughly $55 million. She said IHLA generates about 375 units for state funding purposes; she offered to provide exact budget and unit figures to the committee later.

Committee members raised accountability and performance concerns. Senator Summerer and others asked how IHLA defines "mastery of standards." Sorensen said IHLA uses standards‑based rubrics and teacher‑graded electronic portfolios as the primary measure of mastery. Sen. Summerer noted ISAT proficiency levels cited in the hearing (for mathematics and ELA) and questioned how those statewide proficiency metrics aligned with the program's mastery claims; Sorensen acknowledged that math proficiency had been a challenge for IHLA and said results tend to improve for students who remain in the program and who become more independent learners.

Senators asked how IHLA verifies Idaho residency and whether families could use the same receipts to seek reimbursements from other programs. Sorensen said IHLA uses PowerSchool enrollment and requires current proof of residency at enrollment. On potential "double‑dipping," she said IHLA tracks direct purchases and reimbursements it authorizes but that IHLA did not control or monitor outside grant programs. Senator Nichols clarified a recent change to the Empowering Parents program, saying that at the time of the hearing Empowering Parents reimbursements available to families had been narrowed to home internet service only; Sorensen said she was not familiar with all details of that separate grant program.

Oneida School District Superintendent Abrams appeared briefly to clarify legal questions about money flow. Abrams told the committee IHLA and the district intend not to violate law and that program funds flow through contracted providers who handle purchases and reimbursements. Abrams also said the district is pursuing litigation against the state over retroactive reductions in previously expected funds tied to last session's changes to bond equalization (an action he described as arising from legislation that "backdated" funding changes). The superintendent said the lawsuit concerns funds the district had been promised under prior law and does not seek future funding changes.

Committee chairmen asked staff to return more complete budget and unit breakdowns to the committee. Sorensen offered to provide more detailed budget documents and exact figures on units and provider payments on request.