As the legislative session unfolds, Idahoans are once again watching hours of debate over immigration status tracking in schools, bathroom monitoring, pronoun policing, instituting a “moment of silence” at the beginning of the school day, restrictions on what flags cities can fly, and bills that strip local governments of their authority.

Meanwhile, we face very real challenges:

• Diversion of public funds to private schools
• Tax cuts for high-income earners
• Underfunded K-university education
• Underfunded special education ($100 million)
• Rising property taxes to pay for underfunded education
• Strained rural healthcare systems
• Workforce shortages that affect businesses and families alike

The disconnect is hard to ignore. Idahoans, no matter their political leanings, literally can no longer afford to ignore what our legislators are doing and what our children and families need.

Instead of addressing structural funding gaps or stabilizing school budgets, lawmakers are advancing proposals that seem designed less to solve Idaho problems and more to score ideological points in a culture war.

We are debating whether schools should track children by immigration categories — despite clear federal law protecting their right to attend. Schools already have this data and report it to the superintendent of public instruction. We are endlessly debating which bathrooms students use and which pronouns teachers and medical providers may acknowledge. We are debating what flags a city council may raise in front of city hall.

Where is the sustained, serious effort to fix our medium and long-term fiscal instability?

Idaho has prided itself on local control and practical governance. Yet we are increasingly seeing state-level preemption — legislation that tells cities and counties what they can and cannot do, even when local leaders are responding to the needs of their own communities. If a town wants to adopt broader anti-discrimination protections, why is that seen as a threat? If a city wants to fly a flag that reflects its residents, why is that a matter for state intervention? If a city wants to protect children with stronger childcare licensing standards, why should the state lower those standards? Look at what the Legislature is spending time on and ask if this is a priority for your kids and your family.

Many of these bills address problems that simply do not exist in Idaho in any measurable way. Idaho has not asked for these so-called solutions from national advocacy groups. They are being pushed on Idaho families and taking up all the oxygen, instead of addressing the real kitchen table issues that Idaho kids and families face.

At this same time, Idaho’s demographics have shifted. We have welcomed an influx of new residents, including self-described political “refugees,” who have every right to participate in civic life — but whose priorities often center on ideological battles rather than the everyday concerns of longtime Idaho families.

The result is a Legislature increasingly focused on symbolic fights while sidestepping the unglamorous work of budgeting, planning, and governing.

Public education funding gaps are real. Special education shortfalls are real. Infrastructure needs are real. The strain on local governments as property tax pressures rise is real. These issues do not generate viral headlines, but they shape the daily lives of Idaho families.

Culture war legislation flooding this year’s session may energize a political base, create fundraising opportunities, or generate cable news segments. What it does not do is  balance a budget, recruit a teacher or pediatrician, keep a rural hospital open, or ensure a child with disabilities receives adequate services.

Idaho deserves leadership that prioritizes stability over spectacle.

Good governance rarely makes noise. It looks like long committee hearings, careful amendments, bipartisan conversations, and incremental improvements that strengthen families over time.

And while the spotlight often falls elsewhere, it’s important to recognize that there are legislators — on both sides of the aisle — who are deeply committed to Idaho families and who show up every day to do the hard, often unglamorous work of governing.  That work may not generate headlines, but it is the backbone of responsible leadership.

Let’s take a moment to thank them — sincerely — for the steady, thoughtful effort they put in every single day on behalf of Idaho families.

We can and should have spirited debates about values. But when those debates consistently crowd out practical governance, we all pay the price. It is time to refocus on the fundamentals: responsible budgeting, sustainable revenue, strong schools, healthy communities, and respect for local decision-making.

That is not a partisan agenda. It is simply good governance.

And Idaho children and families deserve nothing less.

Nancy Vannorsdel, retired banker and VP, First Interstate Bank, Premier Banking, Eagle
Julie Yamamoto, former state legislator, educator, Caldwell
Jarom Wagoner, AICP, former state legislator, mayor of Caldwell
John Rusche, MD, former Idaho legislator, retired pediatrician, Lewiston