Panel kills bill allowing public money for private education

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A House panel on Tuesday rejected legislation backers say would improve Idaho education through competition but that opponents say would harm education by transferring more than $1 billion dollars of public money to private and religious schools.

The House Education Committee voted 8-7 to kill the measure that allowed qualifying families to get $6,000 per student from the state for private tutoring or tuition at private schools.

Opponents said the measure violated the Idaho Constitution that requires a uniform and thorough system of public free public education. Some bill backers agreed with that assessment, but also said they disagreed with the Idaho Constitution and voted for the measure anyway.

Besides arguing over the bill's constitutionality, lawmakers also took issue with the proposed cost. Republican Reps. Dorothy Moon and Gayann DeMordaunt, the bill's sponsors, said in the bill's fiscal note that in the first year, it would cost about $13 million.

But Democratic Rep. Steve Berch said that was a low-ball number and that under the bill's guidelines, more than 200,000 Idaho students would qualify at a cost to taxpayers of some $1.2 billion.

Some lawmakers also said the plan shortchanged rural areas that didn't have private schools.