Recent Developments: No new developments.
Click here for detailed information on Idaho's public school system and see below for school choice contacts and a history of school choice legislation in Arizona.
State Contacts
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Center for School Improvement and Policy Studies
Bill Parret, Director Boise State University 1910 University Drive Boise, ID 83725 Phone: (208) 426-1837 Fax: (208) 426-3564 Website: http://csi.boisestate.edu/ E-mail: csicee@boisestate.edu |
Christian Homeschoolers of Idaho State
Linda Patchin P.O. Box 45062 Boise, ID 83711 Phone: (208) 424-6685 Website: www.chois.org E-mail: info@chois.org |
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Idaho Coalition of Home Educators
Post Office Box 878 Eagle, ID 83616 Website: www.iche-idaho.org E-mail: listkeeper@iche-idaho.org |
Idaho Department of Education
Dr. Marilyn Howard, Superintendent 650 West State Street P.O. Box 83720 Boise, ID 83720 Phone: (208) 332-6800 Fax: (208) 332-6836 Website: www.sde.state.id.us/Dept/ E-mail: mhoward@sde.state.id.us |
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Idahoans for Tax Reform
Tom Hoefling, Chairman P.O. Box 1325 Boise, ID 83701 Phone: (208) 426-0358 Fax: (208) 426-0363 Website: www.idtaxreform.com E-mail: idtaxreform@yahoo.com |
Archived History, Pre-2006
In 2000, H.B. 686 was introduced to provide tax credits to individuals and corporations that donated funds to help support students in private schools. Individuals would have received a credit of up to $250 in the first year after the bill was enacted, and the maximum credit for individuals would have increased to $1,000 by 2006. Corporations would have received an initial credit of up to $1,000 per year, which would have risen to a maximum of $10,000 by 2006. The bill died in committee.[3]
In 2001, the Idaho House of Representatives passed H.B. 311, which would have provided tax credits of up to $1,000 for individuals and $10,000 for corporations for donations to support students attending a private school. The bill died in the State Senate.[4]
Governor Dirk Kempthorne signed S.B. 1132, which allows charter schools to appeal a local school board's decision to revoke or refuse a revision of a school's charter.[5]
In 2003, the House passed H.B. 346 to allow community colleges, universities, and other nonprofit entities to charter schools. Currently, the local school board is the only chartering authority. The bill did not proceed in the Senate, however. H.B. 255, which exempts charter school property from taxation, was signed into law.[6]
In the spring of 2004, Governor Kempthorne proposed to improve
A series of other laws passed in the
Also in 2004, state Senator Joe Stegner (R- District 7) proposed S.B. 1233, which would have targeted home schooling families by making parents automatically guilty of a misdemeanor if they failed to enroll their child in school or to have him "comparably instructed." However, the resulting opposition led Senator Stegner to withdraw his bill.[10]
[1] National Conference of State Legislators, "
[2] Center for Education Reform, "Charter School Legislation: Profile of Idaho's Charter School Law 2001," at http://edreform.com/charter_schools/laws/Idaho.htm.
[3] See National School Boards Association Web site at www.nsba.org/novouchers.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Education Commission of the States, "ECS State Notes: Charter School Legislation, 2001," at www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/22/79/2279.htm.
[6] See
[7] U.S. Charter Schools, "
[8] U.S. Charter Schools, "New Idaho Charter School Commission Begins Work," July 22, 2004, at www.uscharterschools.org/cs/n/view/uscs_news/276 (August 27, 2004).
[9] See
[10] "Anti-Homeschool Bill Defeated in
