As a parent with children in Idaho’s public schools, I’m asking Governor Little to put our kids first by refusing to opt our state into the federal voucher tax credit hidden in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

This program is not about choice but is about creating tax shelters for wealthy donors. It is not about supporting schools that serve the majority (94% to be exact) of Idaho’s children. At the same time Washington politicians are pushing this, they’re also proposing cuts to education in the budget reconciliation bill, including slashing Title I funding for our low-income students. It’s a one-two gut punch against public schools by further subsidizing those who choose to privately educate their children. Let’s not forget public education is inherently an American value, and it’s a value that is under attack.

Here’s an issue I have, if I donate to my local public school, I get only a very small tax “deduction.” But under this voucher program, wealthy donors get a dollar-for-dollar federal “tax credit” for giving to organizations that dole out private school vouchers. Tell me why private schools that don’t have to play by the same rules should get preferential treatment over public schools that have the legal obligation to accept every child?

The truth is Idaho already has real school choice. Families here can choose neighborhood schools, public charter schools, magnet programs, online schools, career-technical academies, and dual-credit opportunities. We don’t need a federal gimmick that creates winners and losers especially when it can be matched with the existing tax credit voucher subsidy just passed in the Idaho Legislature. We need to strengthen the excellent choices we already have by financing their programming fully, which the Idaho state lawmakers have not done.

Governor Little now faces his own choice. Will he defend the institutions chosen by a majority of Idaho’s families, or will he submit to Washington lobbyists? For the sake of every child in districts all across Idaho, from Boise to Bonners Ferry and from Kuna to Kellogg, I urge him to say NO to federal vouchers and YES to investing in our public schools. Let’s not forget rural Idaho, where families don’t even have access to private schools but are forced to contribute their hard working dollars to programs that subsidize them in urban areas. For them, vouchers aren’t “choice” at all; they only result in lost resources siphoned away from the only schools their communities have.

I believe parents need to understand just what opting-in to this program will do, explicitly that it invites the wealthy to enjoy new tax perks and access to elite options, while the rest of us are left with public schools who continue to be strapped with overregulation and unsustainable resources. If we continue down this path, our schools risk looking less like places that foster learning and more like warehouses, with kids getting only the bare minimum instead of the full education experience they deserve.

If Governor Little truly believes in small government and local control, then opting Idaho into a Washington-run voucher scheme would be the height of hypocrisy. Decisions about how we fund and structure education should be made here in Idaho, not dictated by a federal tax credit designed by lobbyists whose organizations will benefit greatly from these financial incentives.

Idaho children deserve more opportunity, not less. Governor Little should stand with the majority of parents and students, and reject this federal voucher scheme.

Monica Dickson is a native Idahoan and lives in the Treasure Valley.