Why School Choice Matters

A conservative home-schooling mom's support for school choice.

As a homeschool mom, I have seen the value of school choice firsthand. Growing up, I thought homeschooling was something only for the "weird" or super-religious families, and I was certain I would never do that to my kids. I wanted them to socialize and be "normal." While my goals for my children's education haven't changed, my perspective on how to achieve them has evolved significantly.

When my oldest was ready for kindergarten, I hated the idea of losing time with him and considered homeschooling. However, my husband wasn't on board at first, and our son was excited about going to school, so we enrolled him. By first grade, he was already showing classic signs of ADHD and struggling in school, which was no surprise given my own experiences with ADHD and dyslexia. By second grade, I decided it was time to homeschool. Every struggle he faced was something I felt equipped to handle with homeschooling. Since then, our five kids have been homeschooled more years than they've attended school, and my family loves it. We exercise our parental rights and empower our children to participate in their education choices. Some choose public schools, while others choose to remain homeschooled.

I also love public school. Growing up in the small town of Spanish Fork, Utah, I had friends whose only consistent meal was at school, making it a refuge for them. I also know many dedicated teachers who genuinely care about their students. I appreciate charter schools and genuinely admire private schools. I am a huge advocate for school choice because it allows parents to find the best educational options for their kids and families. Restricting educational paths robs our community, as evidenced by states like California, which has abysmal literacy rates among high school graduates.

Idaho can do better than that. Idaho does do better than that. I am thankful to live in a state with amazing school choice options. Here, we can choose from public, charter, and private schools and mix these options to suit our kids best. As a homeschool parent, I have the freedom to enroll my kids in public, charter, or private schools for specific subjects. I can also partner with a charter school to use public education funds allotted per student to purchase curriculum and educational tools for our homeschool. These schools are often supportive and great resources for ensuring a successful experience.

The funds come with requirements like end-of-year testing and accountability for how the money is spent. This is crucial; we want public dollars for children's education to be given with accountability. In contrast, private schools don't have to adhere to state or national standards. They range from elite institutions to ones where "education" is a loose term. Private schools sometimes rely heavily on parent involvement to achieve high outcomes. They aren't required to hire trained and certified teachers, so there's no guarantee of appropriate developmental education or classroom management.

I don't have a problem with student-allocated funds going through an accredited school that shows accountability for basic education standards. However, I am concerned about school voucher bills that would only expand choice to private schools with less accountability than homeschooling families partnering with charter schools. As currently proposed, a voucher system could divert funds needed to maintain the broad range of options we currently enjoy, benefiting private schools at the expense of our most vulnerable students who need support and programs.

These vouchers and/or tax credits are being marketed as “school choice.” This feels dishonest to me since we already have school choice, and it seems like a clever way to take something as unpopular as vouchers and rebrand them as something that parents want. Why can’t voucher proponents be honest about this?

Idaho already has a great, flexible solution for school choice for parents and students. Let's avoid inadvertently limiting these options by diverting funds to minimally accountable private institutions. If we want a taxpayer-funded school voucher system, it should include accountability and be funded separately from general education funds.

About Andrea Graf
Andrea Graf is a stay-at-home mom who is passionate about continual learning. A lifelong Republican, she is often told she is the real brain behind Political Potatoes. Graf lives in Star, Idaho, with her husband Gregory and their five children.

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