Idaho Home Learning Academy tells Senate committee it serves ~8,000 students, explains funding and accountability

Terry Sorensen, executive director of the Idaho Home Learning Academy (IHLA), told the Senate Education Committee that IHLA is a statewide public virtual school authorized under Oneida School District that serves students in grades K–12 and provides parents with an education savings account (ESA) mechanism worth $1,800 per student per year.

Sorensen said IHLA is operated within a “triangle” in which Oneida School District supplies administrators and certified teachers, IHLA contracts with three educational service providers (Harmony Education, Braintree Educational Services and HomeEd360) that deliver curricular programs and administrative functions, and parents use an ESA account for approved purchases via direct-buy or reimbursement. She said the ESA funds are not handed directly to parents as cash; instead, providers account for purchases and reimbursements tied to student course registrations.

Scope and scale: Sorensen told senators IHLA has approximately 7,925 students and said the program has converted to charter status after previously operating inside Oneida School District. She said IHLA does not currently receive the $400-per-student charter facilities allocation. Sorensen described IHLA’s budget as roughly $55 million this year and said IHLA will pay its education-service providers about $21 million; part of that amount is used to support the $1,800-per-student educational accounts that parents access for materials and services.

Accountability and services: Sorensen described IHLA’s three-pronged accountability approach—fiscal controls, academic monitoring and state testing outcomes. She said K–8 students have biweekly teacher check-ins and submit artifacts to electronic portfolios; high-school students submit weekly work. IHLA participates in state assessments (IRI, ISAT and a dyslexia screener) and conducts its own engagement survey. Sorensen said IHLA provides special education services, Section 504 accommodations, English Learner supports and gifted-and-talented services.

Questions from senators focused on fiscal flows, student eligibility and academic outcomes. Senator Ward Engelking calculated that $1,800 multiplied by IHLA’s approximately 8,000 students would represent about $14.5 million in ESA disbursements and asked whether IHLA receives the $400 facilities allocation (Sorensen said it does not). Senators asked how the ESA money is authorized; Sorensen and Oneida Superintendent Abrams said the authority for the current model is the contract between IHLA (the district) and the educational service providers, and those providers distribute direct-buy access and process reimbursements. Sorensen repeatedly said she did not have details about the separate Empowering Parents grant program and could not confirm whether items reimbursed through IHLA-based accounts might also be submitted to Empowering Parents.

Academic outcomes: Senators pressed Sorensen on ISAT scores. Sorensen said IHLA’s 11th-grade ELA proficiency was 68% and that ISAT results vary by subject, with math proficiency lower and an area of focus. She said many students enter IHLA having been taught outside the state standards (for example, traditional homeschool students) or arriving transiently from other schools, which affects baseline test results; she said students who remain in IHLA for multiple years tend to show improvement and greater independence.

Charter growth cap and litigation: Sorensen asked the legislature to consider changing Idaho Code 33-5207 (transcript cited as “3,350.207”), a statutory cap that limits charter growth by 40 student units, saying the cap constrains IHLA’s ability to serve parents who want the program. Oneida School District Superintendent Abrams told the committee the district is currently pursuing litigation against the state over a law passed on the last day of the previous legislative session that retroactively adjusted certain funding (he identified prior bond equalization payments and referenced House Bill 292). Abrams said the district is seeking funds it believes were promised prior to the retroactive change.

What this means: IHLA’s model routes state per-pupil funding through the district and contracted providers; providers supply curriculum and manage ESAs for families. Senators asked for a more detailed financial breakdown—Sorensen said she would supply budget documents to committee staff. Several senators recommended the committee obtain more information about how ESA-style accounts are administered across public and nonpublic programs to avoid duplication of reimbursements.