Idaho Senate Education Committee holds bill expanding parent-supported instruction after testimony and questions

BOISE — The Idaho Senate Education Committee on Monday heard testimony on Senate Bill 10-68, a proposal to codify a parent-supported instruction model that would allow parents to select curriculum and receive district-administered education savings accounts for certain expenses while remaining enrolled in public or charter schools.

Senator Steven Thain, sponsor of the bill, told the committee the proposal seeks to give parents and districts “flexibility to compete in this new landscape” of school choice and individualized instruction. He said roughly 11,000 students in Idaho already participate in parent-supported or similar models and that the bill would provide four specific areas of flexibility for districts that choose to offer the model.

The bill, as described by Thain, would: exempt parent-selected curriculum used in the model from the usual curriculum adoption process (while still requiring instruction aligned to state standards); permit sponsoring school districts to set education savings account amounts; allow districts to increase pupil-teacher ratios for participating students if those students perform at or above statewide averages; and extend certain “self-directed learner” time-flexibility provisions to students in the model if they meet assessment criteria.

Committee members pressed Thain and program representatives on oversight, allowable expenses, student engagement, and fiscal mechanics. Senator Ward Engelking asked why the bill limits the Idaho State Department of Education’s regulatory authority over the model; Thain said the limitation is meant to prevent “creeping” regulation that could make the option impractical. Engelking also questioned the bill’s broad definition of “eligible expenses.”

Janet Cox, director of student services for Idaho Home Learning Academy and a third-party partner working with some districts, described how districts review and approve expense requests under existing programs. She told the committee that travel and lodging are typically excluded from reimbursable expenses but that admission fees tied directly to standards-based learning can be approved. Cox said districts set policies and review special requests (for example, higher-cost computers or a $77 incubator tied to life-science instruction) and that internet service and one device per student per year are commonly allowable items under existing practice.

Other supporters who testified described the model as a public-school option that keeps families connected to districts while allowing increased parental choice. Mary Ellen Nurse, who said she holds a doctorate in education, told the committee parents are “the first educators of their children” and urged support for the bill. Lisa Huddle, a Meridian teacher who works with a parent-supported program, told senators the programs are monitored “the same way any other public school is” and said some in-person learning days provide peer interaction and coaching. Parent speakers described children who struggled with classroom environments or medical issues and who, after enrolling in parent-supported programs, showed improvement on state testing.

Committee members also asked about costs that remain for districts (transportation, facilities, special education and other services) and how districts would allocate responsibilities and education savings accounts based on the level of services a family requests. Senator Thain and Janet Cox said the local application process would require districts to document what services the sponsoring district will provide and to set the education savings account amount accordingly.

With several questions still outstanding and additional related legislation expected, the committee voted to hold Senate Bill 10-68 subject to the call of the chair. The committee also approved minutes from its Feb. 18 meeting.

The bill drew a mix of technical questions about statutory cross-references (several Idaho Code sections are cited in the draft) and policy questions about the balance of parent choice, district oversight and use of public funds. The committee deferred further action to allow additional information and follow-up testimony.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve minutes of Feb. 18: moved and seconded; voice vote, carried. - Motion to hold Senate Bill 10-68 subject to the call of the chair: moved and seconded; voice vote, carried.