Since it is the beginning of the school year, I wanted to touch on our education system here in Idaho. Eighty percent of Americans support school choice, and the path forward is clear that families deserve the power to choose the best education for their kids. For years, we have lived with the failure of our public schools, while it has been proven that home-schooled children do better on test scores and have consistently higher social skills. One size no longer fits all, and therein lies the rub with our public education system. With the advent of Trump and MAGA, we are seeing a transformation and a rebuilding of industrial America, where we actually make things again, which is going to require a strong, well-educated, and diversified workforce. This is why we need to change our education system now so we can fill those new jobs that are going to be created as this new economy grows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s time for government to take a big step back and allow real competition in our education system. We can only achieve this goal if we allow school choice for all of our children. The latest attempt by Idaho\u2019s legislature to offer their version of school choice is no more than a drop in the bucket. This program only offers 10,000 students out of over 331,000 currently enrolled in our public school system the ability to receive funds to enroll in private schools, but only if they qualify financially. In fact, we currently have only 5% of Idaho\u2019s K-12 students attending private schools. My friends, this is not school choice; this is our government trying to keep a tight grip on our public education system, which only offers a choice of public schools while dumping billions of dollars into a failing public education system. Our public school system has been failing for decades, and much of it has to do with the fact that our legislators seem to think that throwing more money at a failing system will fix the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Idaho debates limited school choice measures, states like Arizona demonstrate what can happen when states embrace true educational freedom. Universal school choice has triggered enrollment drops of up to 25% in some public-school districts, as parents are voting with their feet for better educational options. Idaho spends over 3 billion on public education, and we have yet to see any substantial improvement in outcomes. Do you realize that Idaho ranks 47th nationally in overall school performance? This represents the most perverse incentive system imaginable because when performance declines, bureaucrats demand more money rather than accepting accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We need to approach education in a more business-like manner instead of constantly throwing more money at a bureaucratic machine that puts every student in the same fishbowl instead of creating a competitive atmosphere. My background comes from the business world, and the success or failure of a corporation is dependent on the competence of its management and the employees it hires, and from where I\u2019m sitting, we have some really bad management here in Idaho. With the huge sums of our tax dollars spent on our children\u2019s education, we need to give them every possible opportunity to succeed. I believe that competition can play an important role in changing our education system from one that continues to fail to one that will allow our children the opportunity to succeed. If Idaho wants to change from failure to success in our educational system, we need to have the best teachers, and that can only be achieved by competition. The best corporations are successful because they compete for the best employees to fill their jobs. They need to be efficient and competitive if they want to survive and the same rules should apply to education. Public schools need to show that they can compete with private and home schooling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you have competition, it forces those who are inefficient to fail and go out of business. This is what needs to happen in our public education system. We need to foster a true school choice program where we actually have innovation, a place where private schools can compete on an even plain. We need to channel our tax dollars for education in a direction that gives our children an opportunity to succeed, and school choice is the answer. Let parents and their children make the decision where and how to be educated. We see too many of our kids graduate from public schools, then go to college, create huge debts that take decades to pay off and graduate with a degree in underwater basket weaving so they can work at Starbucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Folks, with the advent of AI, we are going to see more opportunities for the future of our children, but only if they are able to compete in an ever-changing world that is moving forward faster than we can imagine. More competition with private schools will give our children opportunities to survive in the world of tomorrow as we find out that one size does not fit all and it is time to break the mold of public education It\u2019s time for Idaho to fix a broken system and create a real future for our children by telling our legislators that we want total school choice. If we don\u2019t change to be sure our children will continue to suffer under a stagnated, archaic system of public schools run by government bureaucrats. Idahoans need to wake up and take charge of their children\u2019s education, or our children will be the ultimate losers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have had the pleasure of visiting several of the private schools in the Treasure Valley, and believe me, the demeanor of the students is quite different than anything I have experienced in any of our public education facilities. These private education facilities don\u2019t serve as day care centers like many of our public schools. They are truly innovative learning centers, and you can see and feel this as you walk the hallways and sit in the classrooms. Classical education schools have emerged across Idaho and offer a stark contrast to public schools. These institutions emphasize order, respect, patriotism, and academic excellence. Students walk quietly through halls, raise hands before speaking, wear uniforms, and demonstrate genuine pride in their education. They’ve created environments where learning flourishes because discipline and respect create the foundation for academic achievement. Only you can fix our education system by telling your legislators and Governor that you want a private school solution to the current failing education system in our state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe Get the Government We Deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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