POCATELLO — The Idaho Education Association has issued a vote of no confidence against Gov. Brad Little after he signed legislation educators say was designed to undermine public school unions — a bill they contend was pushed through a legislative backdoor without a proper hearing.

House Bill 516 restricts public school unions from using payroll deduction to collect member dues, bars union representatives from using district email systems and requires meticulous time-tracking when union leaders represent members in meetings with administrators, then bills the union for that time.

Proponents have framed the legislation as a prohibition on taxpayer money flowing to unions. But Mary Ann McGrory, president of the Pocatello Education Association, said no taxpayer dollars ever went directly to unions under the previous system.

Teachers and staff earned their salaries, chose to pay union dues from those wages and authorized payroll deduction — the same mechanism workers across industries use to contribute to retirement accounts, health insurance premiums or charitable funds.

Among those funds is the IEA’s Children’s Fund, a voluntary program funded entirely by union member donations. McGrory said she has directed more than $1,500 to Pocatello students for food, clothing, eyeglasses and medication by submitting simple requests to the association.

McGrory, who has served as PEA president for a decade, said the bill’s passage has left public school employees with a deep sense of betrayal.

The vote of no confidence came at the IEA’s annual delegate assembly earlier this month, where 300 to 400 representatives from across the state gathered and passed the motion overwhelmingly.

McGrory said the push for the legislation did not originate with Idaho school districts or administrators — no one asked for it. She identified out-of-state organizations, including the Freedom Foundation, as the primary drivers, noting the group has publicly stated its opposition to public education unions and is pursuing similar measures in multiple states.

The bill’s path to the governor’s desk raised procedural concerns. Earlier versions failed to advance through the Senate Education Committee in prior sessions. This year, a version passed the House but did not receive a Senate hearing. Sponsors then attached the anti-union language as an amendment to a separate bill that had already passed — a move McGrory said exploited a legislative loophole. The amended bill bypassed the Senate Education Committee entirely before heading to the governor.

McGrory told the Idaho State Journal that Little acknowledged the bill was flawed and expressed hope that next year’s Legislature would address those flaws — but signed it regardless. That rationale rang hollow for educators who had called and emailed the governor’s office urging a veto.

The IEA had previously viewed Little as an ally. He received the association’s Friend of Education award and attended IEA events. The association has since moved to strip him of that recognition, though efforts to do so have not yet succeeded.

The relationship further deteriorated after Little signed the Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit, known as HB 93, which allows families to receive state tax credits for private school and homeschool expenses. McGrory said an overwhelming majority of Idahoans opposed the measure.

Critics have also raised concerns that limited oversight makes it difficult to ensure the money stays in state.

The practical effects of HB 516 extend well beyond dues collection. The union president position in Pocatello has historically operated as a half-day release, with local dues covering the president’s salary for hours spent on union business. The new law prohibits that arrangement. The incoming president will be required to teach full time, with all union activity relegated to before school, after school or a duty-free lunch period.

Union representation during administrator meetings is a bargaining unit right. Under HB 516, both the union representative and the administrator must log time spent in those meetings. Twice a year, the union must submit those records to the district, which will then calculate a billing rate based on the representative’s hourly wage and charge the union accordingly.

“I think it’s important, especially for the people in Pocatello, to know that the school district, the district office, the administration and the PEA have a very strong working relationship that is very collaborative and collegial, and it will continue,” McGrory said. “But it will be more difficult in the coming year. No one in our district and no one in the state wanted this bill.”

The IEA is urging members and the public to participate in May primaries and support candidates who back public education.

McGrory said the goal is to elect legislators who understand how broadly written bills affect schools, staff and students and to support lawmakers who will return to the Capitol prepared to repeal or substantially revise HB 516.