School Choice
What is School Choice (HB93) trying to accomplish
A bill designed to give families more choices when deciding how to best educate their children is currently being voted on by our Idaho Legislature.
The bill would create a refundable tax credit offering private school and home-school students up to $5,000 for tuition, tutoring, standardized test fees, curriculum, books, transportation and other education expenses. Students with special needs would qualify for up to $7,500.
Updates on School Choice
First, we had a good day yesterday. House Bill 93 passed out of the House Revenue and Tax Committee. Thank you for coming to testify and bringing families, especially on incredibly short notice. You made a difference!
The bill will next move to the floor for a vote of the entire House. We expect this process to move quickly. The earliest that can happen is tomorrow, but it would not be a surprise if the vote occurred next week.
As those of you in attendance saw, we are getting pushback from the unions, school boards, and other special interest groups. We need to get our families more aggressively activated to share their voices. Please know, we don’t need to match opponents email for email for phone call for phone call. If legislators were to see 10-25 calls and emails come through, it would make a key difference to understand the perspectives of their constituents.
Families can contact their legislators and to request to support for House Bill 93.
The group that does this work in a lot of states relates that our leadership is — by far — the most responsive and supportive group of leaders we have worked with, and you have been for a couple years now. It’s clear how much this cause means for you and your families. They are so grateful for partners like our leaders who are willing to fight like this to pass a bill.
IDEDnews.org reports on the progress of School Choice in Idaho and interviews Superintendent Howlett in the article.
"Raybould also asked Howlett whether Cole Valley Christian allows any student to enroll, regardless of their faith or religious denomination. “We allow all Christian denominations to be a part of our school,” Howlett responded. In a previous interview with Idaho Education News, Howlett said that Cole Valley Christian doesn’t admit students from families without at least one “Bible-believing” parent.
Howlett also addressed concerns about accountability. “They stop paying tuition if we are not accountable to exactly what they want to see happening with their kids, and if we’re not progressing,” he said. “We partner with these parents, knowing that they are the primary educators of their kids.”
We have great news and a time-sensitive request!
The Idaho Parental Tax Credit (HB 93) has officially passed the full House! This is a major victory for families across Idaho who deserve more options in education. If HB 93 becomes law, all Idaho families could apply for up to a $5,000 tax credit to help afford private school.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where despite our momentum, we will face ongoing opposition. We still need your help with your legislators.
Here’s how you can help:
1. Thank the House Representatives who voted YES. Their support made this victory possible—let’s show our appreciation to all the members who voted for the bill!
Take action now: Click this link to send your messages. It only takes a minute!
2. Ask your Senator to support HB 93.
Senators need to hear from parents who believe in more options for their children’s education.
Take action now: Click this link to send a message to your senator.
Your voice matters now more than ever. Let’s make sure Idaho families get the choices they deserve!
Thank you for your partnership.
Great news: House Bill 93 is moving to the Senate floor!
Dear Families,
We are happy to share that the Idaho Parental Tax Credit (HB 93) passed the Senate’s Local Government and Taxation Committee and now moves to the Senate floor for a final vote.
Thank you for taking the time to send all of your messages to House representatives and continuing to make your voices heard. Thanks to your work, we are steps away from getting this bill across the finish line.
Despite our momentum, we will face ongoing opposition on the Senate floor. Our immediate goal at this point is to contact our senators and remind them that we are counting on them to support HB 93.
Take action now: Click this link to send your messages.
This bill helps break down financial barriers and expand opportunities for all students. Your voice can make a difference in this upcoming Senate vote. Let’s get HB 93 through the Senate and onto Governor Little’s desk!
House Bill 93, the Idaho Parental Tax Credit, has passed the Senate and is now headed to the Governor’s desk for signing! This is a huge victory for Idaho families seeking more educational options for their children.
We couldn’t have done this without you. Your emails, calls, and testimonies made a real impact, and we are incredibly grateful for your support. Now, it’s time to finish strong.
We want to extend our gratitude to the senators who voted in favor of this bill, standing with families who deserve the freedom to choose the best education for their children.
1. Thank the Senators –
If a senator voted yes on HB 93, take a moment to send him or her a quick thank-you email.
2. Email the Governor –
The final step is securing the Governor’s signature! Send a message today urging him to sign HB 93 and make school choice a reality for more Idaho families.
Why? This Idaho Educational News article, who is for the School Choice Bill, reports some of the input others are sharing with those voting. If you have a difference in opinion you want to share, you can reach out to the Governor to let him hear your story.
Dear CVCS families:
A quick note regarding House Bill 93: Governor Little has opened his office phone line for residents of Idaho to vote on whether he should sign or veto House Bill 93 and the Idaho Parental School Choice Tax Credit that it provides. We have received multiple emails from public school teachers and admin accounts encouraging recipients to call and vote for the governor to veto the bill.
It is very important that we make our voices heard as well, so please consider calling the governor's office as soon as you are able at 208-334-2100 to encourage the governor to sign House Bill 93.
You will be asked to press 1 to sign the bill OR 2 to not sign the bill. It took me about 15 seconds to do so.
Should you want to give more input, you can write to the governor with your thoughts HERE
Please let me know if I can do anything to better serve your family.
Gratefully,
Allen Howlett
Superintendent
School choice tax credit
Little did not indicate Monday if he planned to sign the school choice tax credit bill, which has passed both chambers and would, for the first time in state history, allow state funds to go to k-12 private education tuition.
In his State of the State address, Little proposed $50 million for “school choice,” but didn’t specify what type of program he supported. He said in the speech that he wanted it to be “fair, responsible, transparent, and accountable.”
Little on Monday indicated he wasn’t completely happy with parts of the bill sitting at his desk.
“The only thing this perfectly fit into was my $50 million box,” Little said.
“... There’s not enough accountability in it, but to that mind, I don’t think there’s enough accountability in the money we give public schools, either.”
The governor has until Thursday to either sign or veto the bill, otherwise it will go into effect without his signature. His office has been tabulating input from the public on the bill, including an automated voicemail survey on it. His office has not provided the results of the voicemail survey, only saying there have been "thousands" of responses.
On Thursday, Governor Brad Little signed into law Idaho Law House Bill 93, creating the Parental Choice Tax Credit program.
Read the article from Idaho Ed News HERE
Watch the news report on the Governor's signing of HB 93 HERE
Now the implementation teams will begin sharing details on how this will roll out. We will update these pages as we receive information on how to apply and what to expect.
Hello CVCS Families,
The state of Idaho recently passed legislation to provide a refundable tax credit to mitigate the costs for your student(s) to attend Cole Valley Christian Schools. The Idaho State Tax Commission will oversee the implementation and management of the new credits. Currently, no specific guidance has been issued, but the school will continue monitoring the rollout of the law and communicate to you as the process is clarified.
Some high-level provisions of this new tax law include:
The credit is effective for tax years beginning January 1, 2025.
The credit is up to $5,000 per eligible student and $7,500 per eligible student who is also considered a child with disabilities requiring ancillary personnel. Tuition and fees paid to Cole Valley Christian Schools are eligible expenses for purposes of this credit.
In the initial rollout of the plan, preference will be given to families whose income does not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level. Income level is not a disqualifier, rather it impacts your priority in funding awards. In the following years, priority will be given to families whose students qualified for the credit in the prior year. For 2025, the federal poverty level for a family of 4 is $32,150. Therefore, income below $96,450 will receive priority. For more information see: https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines
Attaining the credit will require an application process. The state tax commission will create the forms and administer the process to award funds. Awards are on a first-in/first-out basis.
The new law includes a provision for a one-time advance payment of the credit for each eligible student. This election process has not been communicated other than the payment would be received no later than August 30.
2025 is the rollout year and no application guidance has been provided to date. For 2026, the application window will open for 60 days on January 15. At the end of that window, the state will notify applicants of any credit awards within the following 30 days. Generally, you will know the status of your application by April 15.
Finally, this new law will not impact the school's plans or strategies for future tuition increases. This is simply a tax incentive through the state of Idaho to make attending Cole Valley Christian Schools more affordable for our current and prospective families. You are encouraged to consult with a qualified tax professional for advice regarding your specific situation.
Have a great weekend,
CVCS Communications