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The Blog at MSPC
Idaho Senate committee passes expansion of Empowering Parents program
Some progress is being made to expand education choice options in Idaho. The Idaho Senate Education committee today passed SB 1161, an...
Mar 14, 20232 min read
Advisory vote on education choice is simplistic & unwise - here's a better idea
The Idaho House Education Committee is considering a proposal to place an advisory question before voters next fall (2024) regarding...
Mar 14, 20232 min read
Idaho House Education committee again blocks more education choice
If additional education choice is going to come to the Gem State, it won't be originating in the Idaho House Education Committee. Today,...
Mar 14, 20233 min read
Try, try again on expanding education choice in Idaho
Education choice is on the agenda again as the Idaho legislature comes down the home stretch. This week, two bills will be heard in...
Mar 13, 20232 min read
Here’s what’s in the new Idaho education choice bill
The Idaho state Senate is now considering a new education choice bill – SB 1144 – that seeks to expand the state’s already-successful...
Mar 7, 20232 min read
No one is proposing school “vouchers”
In the sometimes-heated debate over bringing more education choice options to the region, Republicans, Democrats, and some in the media...
Mar 6, 20232 min read
Second Idaho ESA proposal doesn't even get hearing
It's hard to make sense of the strategy in advancing additional education choice options in the Idaho legislature - if there even is one....
Mar 2, 20233 min read
Where things stand with ed choice proposals across the region
A flurry of legislation throughout the Mountain States has made it difficult to track everything that’s going on. In Washington state,...
Mar 1, 20232 min read
Homeschool Parents: It’s time to support Education Savings Accounts
If there is one thing homeschool families have in common, it’s the desire to be left alone about their education choices. Parents go to...
Feb 28, 20234 min read
Free markets, education and short-sightedness
During the lengthy debate over Idaho Senate Bill 1038 on the Idaho Senate floor on Monday, Senator Carrie Semmelroth used an unusual...
Feb 27, 20232 min read
First Idaho ESA bill this session fails Senate vote... but stay tuned
"It's a journey," Idaho Senator Dave Lent said, before voting against Senate Bill 1038 - the first bill of the session to create...
Feb 27, 20232 min read
An Education Savings Account is not a "voucher"
As Idaho, Wyoming, Washington and Montana all consider bills to create Education Savings Accounts (ESA) for children and their families,...
Feb 27, 20231 min read
The much-needed "Parental Bill of Rights"
Parents should be the ultimate authority when it comes to the education of their child. Too often, politicians look the other way while...
Feb 23, 20231 min read
New predictions on Idaho ESA program require major scrutiny
It produced some eye-opening numbers that got the attention of media including the Idaho Statesman and KTVB. But a new blog from the...
Feb 22, 20234 min read
It's past-time to bring charter schools to Montana
The Treasure State is one of the only states left that does not permit charter schools - but that might be about to change. A slew of...
Feb 17, 20232 min read
Who speaks for the kids?
When the Idaho Senate education committee heard an education choice bill this week, dozens of people signed up to testify – I was one of...
Feb 17, 20232 min read
Idaho Senate committee passes Education Savings Accounts
Today, the Idaho Senate Education committee passed SB 1038 - a bill that would create universal Education Savings Accounts (ESA's). The...
Feb 15, 20232 min read
The "only helps the rich" argument against ed choice just doesn't fly
As Idaho, Washington, Wyoming and Montana now consider Education Savings Accounts to help families improve educational outcomes, one...
Feb 13, 20231 min read
Legislative session checklist: policies introduced, policies waiting
Legislative sessions in Idaho, Montana and Washington are more than a month old, and we are getting a rough idea of what could be in play...
Feb 12, 20236 min read
Removing March and August school elections makes sense
Policymakers across the region and nation are always looking for ways to increase voter turnout and community involvement. Idaho...
Feb 8, 20232 min read
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