Advisory vote on "funding private schools" won't happen
Today, the Idaho House shot down a proposal to place a misleading and controversial advisory question on the 2024 general election...
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Chris Cargill
Mar 18, 20233 min read
Ed choice advisory vote is a mistake & won’t provide complete picture
The legislature exists to make the best policies for sometimes complex issues while representing the will of the people. This is why...
Chris Cargill
Mar 16, 20232 min read
A small victory for families - Idaho Senate passes expansion of Empowering Parents program
The Idaho Senate today passed SB 1161, an expansion of the state’s Empowering Parents program. The vote was 19-15-1. It now heads to the...
Chris Cargill
Mar 16, 20231 min read
Montana advances increase in tax credit scholarships
The Montana House is advancing legislation that would more than double the amount of donations that could be accepted for both the...
Chris Cargill
Mar 14, 20232 min read
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...
Chris Cargill
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...
Chris Cargill
Mar 14, 20233 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,...
Chris Cargill
Mar 13, 20232 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...
Chris Cargill
Mar 7, 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...
Chris Cargill
Mar 6, 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...
Chris Cargill
Mar 2, 20233 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....
Chris Cargill
Mar 1, 20232 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,...
Amber Gunn
Feb 28, 20234 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...
Chris Cargill
Feb 27, 20232 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...
Chris Cargill
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...
Chris Cargill
Feb 27, 20231 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,...
Chris Cargill
Feb 23, 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...
Chris Cargill
Feb 22, 20234 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...
Chris Cargill
Feb 17, 20232 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...
Chris Cargill
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...
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