Democrat, Republican Reactions to Gov. Little Signing ‘School Choice’ Bill

By Greg Pruett • February 27, 2025

Governor Brad Little (R) has signed HB 93, the school choice education bill, into law.

In his press release, Little stated,

“With the passage of the $50 million Parental Choice Tax Credit program, Idaho boasts even more abundant schooling options for Idaho students and families. Combined with the continuation of Idaho’s astoundingly successful LAUNCH program, Idaho has become the first state to offer education freedom from kindergarten through career.

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“Idaho’s commitment to education is growing every year. I am proud that we have put close to $17 BILLION into our K-12 public school system since I took office and increased public school funding by close to 60 percent in just a few years. Our investments in education initiatives have increased 80 percent overall since my first year in office. In addition, Idaho ranks first in the nation for our return on investment in public schools.

“Idaho can have it all – strong public schools AND education freedom. Providing high-quality education for Idaho students will always be our top priority.”

Little’s statement focused less on the actual bill that was passed and more on Idaho’s overall education position in the country. Little praised the LAUNCH program passed last year, which conservatives continue to criticize as a Bernie Sanders-type education program.

There were questions surrounding Little and whether he would sign the bill or not. Some conservatives believe that President Donald Trump’s direct support of HB 93 may have played a role in Little signing the bill.

The effort to reform Idaho’s education system has been a major battle in Idaho for years now. Over a decade ago, groups like the Idaho Freedom Foundation made education choice reform, particularly education choice, a major policy objective.

Part of IFF’s celebration statement on X said,

“The work of the Idaho Freedom Foundation toward this goal for more than 12 years has paid off. Our team has meticulously pointed out the failures of the broken public school system, the constraints on families wanting better options, and the legislative blockades put in the way of education freedom.

We have advocated, educated, and lobbied diligently. Today our efforts were rewarded, but Idaho families are the true winners. This bill is the first step in accomplishing true school choice for years to come. The Legislature has become more Liberty-friendly over the years, and we hope to build on the bill to make it deregulated, universal, and cost-effective in order to serve all of Idaho’s families.”

Mountain States Policy Center also began pushing for education choice when it launched several years ago in 2022.

MSPC President Chris Cargill said after HB 93’s passage,

“We are grateful to these lawmakers for their leadership on the issue and to the Governor for his careful consideration.

As the Governor said, Idaho can provide both a quality public school system, as well as additional education freedom options.”

In the last few election cycles, Idaho Freedom Action, Young Americans for Liberty, and the Citizens Alliance of Idaho made education choice a key talking point in several key elections. Perhaps no race had more of a focus on education policy than former Senate Pro Tem Chuck Winder. Winder was the biggest upset in the 2024 election at the Idaho statehouse.

Winder, who now lobbies for Idaho Business for Education, lobbied against HB 93 this session.

While most conservatives celebrated the news of HB 93 being signed into law, Democrats were not happy about Little’s decision.

The Idaho Democratic Party posted the following on X:

“Brad Little cares more about appeasing out-of-state billionaires than protecting Idaho students and neighborhood schools. Idahoans saw this voucher scheme for what it was: a blatant attack on public education. They flooded his office with calls opposing it by a 10-to-1 margin because they knew the truth. Vouchers drain critical funding from public schools while providing no accountability to taxpayers for families. Other states have learned the hard way that voucher schemes lower student achievement and explode state budgets.

Instead of standing with the people he was elected to serve, Little caved to billionaire-backed lobbyists determined to dismantle public education. Idahoans deserve leaders who fight for them, not politicians who sell them out.”

Idaho Education Association President Layne McInelly blasted the measure after Little signed it, saying,

“Bringing vouchers to Idaho is a huge mistake. House Bill 93 is just the beginning. Our members will fight every step of the way to limit and roll back the damage caused by this legislation.”

The primary conservative opposition to school choice bill was from several Idaho homeschooling organizations. Their primary concerns were government using the school credit system to infringe on homeschooling rights of Idahoans.

Homeschool Idaho, one of the main organizations that opposed HB 93, said on their website, in part,

“These special interests want 2025 to be the year of “school choice victory” in Idaho. As homeschool parents, we need to stand up against what has become the biggest threat to homeschool freedom in a generation. This isn’t hype. This isn’t fear. This is decades of experience defending and expanding homeschool freedom in Idaho. This is the wisdom of a generation that saw parents jailed for homeschooling their own children and did something about it. This is thousands of hours of research on the dangers of government funding of private and homeschools. This is the history of school choice in other countries. This is the voice of the watchmen on the wall. We are not alone: homeschool organizations that fight for freedom across the country are sounding the alarm. We must protect homeschool freedom for the next generation.”

With HB 93 signed into law, Idaho joins a growing list of states with similar tax credit programs.

Did you support or oppose HB 93? Let us know in the comments below.