BOISE, Idaho – Rep. Wendy Horman (R-Idaho Falls) started the 2025 Legislative Session the same way she closed out the preceding year – pleading fellow lawmakers to breathe life into a school choice tax credit.
Horman held down the Lincoln Auditorium Monday before Gov. Brad Little’s (R-Idaho) annual State of the State address. She pitched a $50 million tax credit – broken up into $5,000 a piece – to subsidize private tuition and education needs for families who choose to educate their children outside the public school system.
Her draft is still just that – a draft. It is yet to be presented in committee and printed as an official bill.
“This is the right step. We can win this year,” Horman said. “We’re not giving up until we succeed.”
Horman’s Monday pitch closed out a presentation on the same topic held by the Mountain State Policy Center. President Chris Cargill supports the proposed legislation, but expects more to follow.
” You gotta kinda see, what has the most support,” Cargill said.
School choice opponents throughout the last few legislative sessions – dating back 2022 – continuously fear defunding Idaho public schools and letting the program balloon beyond the original budget.
Horman’s draft legislation would draw from a separate line item in the budget to avoid reducing current public school appropriations, according to Cargill. To expand the $50 million, it would take future legislative approval, according to Horman.
To ensure wealthy families already in private schools don’t take advantage of a program suited for others in need, Horman’s draft would prioritize low-income families.
“I think the important thing to remember is folks who are wealthy, they already have education choice. They can send their child to whatever school they want,” Cargill said. “The folks that this will impact the most in terms of giving them an extra chance at opportunity are the middle-income folks and the lower income folks.”
