Like many parents, I have volunteered at my kids’ schools and chaperoned field trips. I love spending time with students, but after a few hours doing a fraction of what educators do each day, I leave exhausted and even more in awe of our teachers.

But even though teachers do some of the most important work in our state, Idaho does not treat them accordingly. Our teachers make just 73 cents on the dollar compared to other professionals with similar education and experience, even as they stand together to advocate for fair pay, better learning conditions, and more resources for their students. That is why the Idaho Education Association matters.

Now, Republican leaders are muzzling the strongest voice for education in Idaho.

House Bill 516 is a union-busting law targeting teachers. It bars union meetings at workplaces, even as lawmakers use school buildings for their own events. It cuts off communication through school email, makes representation in disciplinary matters harder to access, pushes bargaining and dispute resolution offsite, and overrides local agreements between districts and educators, stripping away local control. It even threatens programs funded by teachers themselves to help families buy essentials like glasses, backpacks, and shoes

The Republicans’ first bill was a broader anti-union effort that included police officers and firefighters. Then those groups were carved out, and teachers were left standing alone. When the legislation stalled, Senate Republicans stuffed the anti-union language into another bill, skipped a real hearing, shut out public testimony, and jammed it through in the final days of the session.

Teachers were singled out for a reason. They see overcrowded classrooms, missing special education investment, and students without the support they need. Instead of answering for that record, Republicans went after the people exposing it.

And Brad Little helped them do it.

He signed the bill late on a Friday, when it would draw less attention. The governor likes to brand himself as a friend of public education. But when it mattered, he sided with the people attacking teachers instead of the people fighting for Idaho kids. As Idaho Education Association President Layne McInelly put it, “Gov. Little claims the mantle of a public education supporter, but he just signed a bill that could cement his legacy as anything but.”

Idaho Republicans have a long history of attacking unions and the rights of working people. They will not stop with teachers. Idahoans should see this for what it is: a warning. When those in power cannot defend their record, they silence the people telling the truth.

Idaho Democrats will always fight for working people across the state and for the basic right to organize, speak up, and advocate for your community.