The Blog at MSPC

Much has been said about Idaho’s new $5,000 education tax credit and the $50 million price tag attached to it. Critics have framed it as a costly new entitlement at a time when the state faces budget pressures. But there’s a critical fact missing from much of the debate: When a student leaves the public school system and uses the tax credit instead, the state saves money. Here’s why. Idaho spends roughly $9,000 per student, per year, of state funds on public education. Under

To put that in perspective: if the students currently represented in applications formed a single public school district, it would rank as the 6th largest district in Idaho. And the application window doesn’t close until March 15.

Civic education doesn’t belong to one type of school or region. It belongs to everyone. Our hope is that teams will come from across Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Eastern Washington, so students can meet peers from different communities, compete respectfully, and go home with a deeper appreciation for how our system works.

If the Legislature expects results from schools, it must also regularly assess whether its own policies are clear, relevant, and properly funded.

Since applications opened on January 15, a total of 6,030 families have applied, covering 10,105 students. That’s not a one-day surge. That’s nearly a month of steady participation.

Lawmakers who opposed the Parental Choice Tax Credit last year, advanced a new bill to cut it—by 4 percent immediately and another 5 percent in 2027—before the program has even fully begun.

In a comprehensive opinion, the Court denied the petition for a writ of prohibition, dismissed the case in full, rejected every major constitutional theory advanced by the petitioners, and awarded attorney fees to the State. The result is about as close to a clean sweep as constitutional litigation gets.

Since applications opened on January 15, 5,056 families have applied for the credit, covering 9,341 students. That’s nearly three weeks of data, which gives us something much more useful than opening-day excitement alone: an actual pace.

By opting in and embracing the federal education tax-credit scholarship program, Washington can expand opportunity, strengthen educational outcomes, and put families first.

Even under the most conservative assumptions, thousands of Idaho families are expected to participate — a strong indication that educational choice is not a niche issue, but a mainstream priority.

Montana has taken a meaningful step to expand educational opportunities for families across the state.

Over and over, justices pressed on two major problems: whether petitioners even have standing to bring the case at all, and whether Idaho’s Constitution truly can be read to prohibit the state from supporting an education policy outside the public school system.

Idaho has taken a significant step forward in expanding educational opportunity by joining the nation’s first federal education choice tax credit scholarship program.

New figures from the Idaho State Tax Commission show Idaho families are moving quickly to take advantage of the state’s new parental choice tax credit — and early application volume suggests demand will be strong throughout the open enrollment period.

the legal theory petitioners are asking the Court to adopt isn’t narrow. It’s sweeping. If accepted, it could transform Idaho constitutional law into a weapon against not just this program, but other long-standing public policies—and even ordinary tax credits.

On day one of the application window for Idaho’s new parental choice tax credit, more than 3,300 families applied. That’s 200 per hour. Four every minute. Since the window opened at midnight, applications have poured in at a pace that’s impossible to ignore.

One poll might be a fluke. Two polls might be a coincidence. But three independent polls—conducted over more than a year, before and after passage—all landing in the mid-60s is not an accident. It’s a pattern. And that pattern reflects broad, durable public support.

We have dozens of policy recommendations for lawmakers to consider. These reforms can be acted on even with the challenging budget situations across the states. Here are a couple of our top recommendations for Idaho, Washington and Wyoming lawmakers

Teacher compensation should move beyond outdated salary schedules and begin rewarding what matters most: results for students.

A judicial stay creates an urgent need for convening a special session to cure the appropriation defect.