From the moonscape of Butte County to the meandering Boise River in Ada, there is plenty to see across the Gem State. When we talk about school vouchers (including educational savings accounts and refundable tax credits), the differences extend beyond the scenery.
Ada County, Idaho’s most populous, is home to over half a million residents. There are more students already enrolled in private schools in Ada County (around 8,400 kids) than there are citizens in Butte County (about 2,700 people). Butte County has only three schools: two elementary and one middle/high school combo. Some families homeschool, but the nearest private school is in Lemhi County, the Salmon SDA School. If you live in Arco and want to send your child to the one private school in Salmon, the commute is over two hours around the Lost River Range. That is 150 miles one way. In contrast, one website lists over 20 private schools in Ada County alone.
A new voucher bill was introduced last week in the House. It is structured to be a refundable tax credit. Let us explore what that means. The average median income in Butte County is about $43,000. In Ada County, it is more than double that at over $88,900. Tuition at one private school in Boise will set you back over $10,000 for a high school student. If the average Butte County parent had access to a private school and wanted to claim the tax credit, they would pay almost a quarter of their annual income for the tuition of one child, anticipating only about half of that to be returned through the tax credit…