POCATELLO — The “Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit” could negatively impact public schools and the communities they serve.

That was the overarching sentiment among local activists, teachers, and city and state officials who packed into the Wood River Room of Idaho State University’s Pond Student Union Building for an SOS, or Save Our Schools, community town hall Tuesday evening.

The event was created in response to the recently passed House Bill 93, which allocates taxpayer money to fund religious and private schools.

Known as the “Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit,” the bill provides $50 million in state funds to pay for eligible nonpublic school expenses for Idaho students in kindergarten through 12th grade and allows parents to apply for a tax credit of up to $5,000 for each eligible student with an additional $2,500 for students with disabilities.

The meeting was organized by local nonprofit Save Our Schools Idaho, a team of public school advocates dedicated to educating area residents by providing information about ESA’s or education savings accounts, vouchers and other policies “aimed at dismantling our neighborhood schools,” according to its website.

The Tuesday night meeting featured former news anchor Karole Honas as the evening’s moderator as well as Bonneville School District Superintendent Scott Woolstenhulme and Pocatello educators Kelly Heil and Marcy Curr as panelists.

The assembly saw over 100 concerned citizens in attendance who were provided insights and background information on voucher programs such as HB 93 and how they can have negative impacts on public schools and our local communities.

During Honas’ introduction, she said the goal of the gathering was to educate those in attendance and provide reasons why the $50 million allocated fund should be capped. The SOS Idaho tagline “Not a dollar more” was met with thunderous applause from the audience.

Panelist Curr said that HB 93 is a concerning symptom of a cataclysmic issue that everyone is facing in Idaho — that we have a government that is choosing to ignore our people.

“Testimonies were opposed to this legislation at a rate of 20 to one and included 37,000 people,” Curr said. “(They) called in and begged our governor not to pass this and yet it passed. That does not sound like a government by the people or for the people. This is a problem because Idahoans do not want our taxpayer dollars to be going to private schools or religious schools in or out of state. If you look at the legislation, it does not restrict that money from leaving here.”

Curr explained that every dollar we divert from public funds to private religious or home schools has severe economic, social and academic impacts on kids.

“HB 93 not only directs funding away from public education, but from every other program in the state, according to the vice chair of the Senate Education Committee,” Curr said, “This is because the money for HB 93 is taken out of the state funds before that money is released into the legislative appropriations process.”

Each panelist was given time to introduce themselves and engaged in discussions such as the lack of oversight with private and religious schools comparable to public schools and designated curricula. Other issues brought up by the panelist team included the often-exclusory nature of private schools, the effects on rural areas, the legislative impact from out-of-state interest groups and the general defunding and dismantling of public education systems.

Discussions also focused around the “school choice issue” and the involvement and influence of voucher programs bankrolled by the Heritage Foundation organization. Panelists talked about the efficacy of Pocatello’s school choice opportunities through its open school boundaries, online education programs, home schools and pilot programs. The recent “Big Beautiful Bill” was also a topic of discussion and the inclusion of a national voucher program within that bill.

The evening proceeded with a general question and answer session with prompts by Honas and insights from the panelists.

“As far as looking down the road, the few studies that we do have on those opportunities in those states that have shifted have proven that the more kids we take out of our public education system, the more detrimental it is to the fabric of society,” Curr said. “Think of our individuals as threads in a tapestry. The more of them that we pull out, the more that tapestry starts to fall apart.”

Curr continued, “The ADD Resource Center said that public schools currently serve over 90 percent of American children and play a role in promoting equality, civic responsibility and social mobility. When we restrict those opportunities, we don’t just shift opportunity, we shift accountability and the foundation of public education.”

The latter portion of the community town hall was opened for questions from audience members, who mused on inquiries about the legality of HB 93 and the potential for lawsuits, accountability from lawmakers and arguments of the impact that area schools can have on the value of neighborhood homes.

State officials who attended the town hall included Rep. Rick Cheatum, R-Pocatello, Sen. James Ruchti, D-Pocatello, and Sen. Jim Guthrie, R-Inkom. They were each given an opportunity to speak and discuss their personal reasons why they oppose voucher style programs and concerns they had surrounding similar legislation.

Honas then thanked everyone in attendance and ended with another rallying cry with members of the audience of “Not a dollar more.”

For more information on Save Our Schools Idaho visit saveourschoolsidaho.com.