As someone who was actually present at the recent Idaho Kids Win Parental Choice Town Hall in Pocatello, I feel compelled to respond to a recent op-ed describing the event. What was written does not match what many of us experienced in the room.

I attended as a parent with sincere questions about how the tax credit will work for my family. I wanted to understand how my own tax dollars, money I work hard for, might finally be used to support the education pathway that best fits my children. Unfortunately, the behavior from a portion of the audience made it extremely difficult for parents like me to get answers.

The opinion paints these individuals as calm, loving parents simply offering “emotional feedback, and asking valid questions.” That is not what happened. A group came specifically to dominate the room, interrupt panelists, derail other parents’ questions, and create a hostile tone. Their goal was not dialogue; it was disruption.

Several of us repeatedly tried to ask straightforward questions about the program and how it works, yet others in the room directed hostility toward the panelists, making it uncomfortable for those of us who were there simply to learn. To now read claims that they were merely ‘seeking clarity’ is frustrating, because that is not the experience I or many other parents had.

The negative sentiment they brought was not about discussing the policy details. It seemed aimed at creating uncertainty among parents in the room who were simply trying to understand the issue. Instead of encouraging open conversation, their approach pushed back against the idea that families should have more say in their own children’s education. To me, this suggests that the opposition is driven more by defending the existing public education structure than by supporting meaningful choices for students. It reflects a system that has become too comfortable with guaranteed funding and has too little accountability for whether kids are actually succeeding.

I want to be clear – the majority of educators I have known, the ones who have helped my kids, are incredible human beings who genuinely care about children. When we told our teachers we were considering another option for one of our kids, they were supportive, positive, and kind. They were not threatened. They wanted what was best for our child. That is what real dedication to students looks like.

But when a system is structured so that funding is guaranteed regardless of performance, innovation naturally slows down. If you told any business that it would be fully funded no matter the results, how motivated would it be to improve or adapt? Our current public education model has operated under that assumption for decades. This is not an insult to teachers; it is a criticism of a system that limits them and traps families in one-size-fits-all structures.

National test scores show that one-third of eighth graders are reading below the Basic level, the highest rate ever reported. We can’t look at numbers like that and still pretend students don’t need more educational options.

The Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit is not about tearing down public schools. It is about creating more options for families and more opportunities for great educators. Teachers who want to try new approaches, join innovative models, or build something better would finally have the flexibility to do so.

So yes, some voices at the town hall made a lot of noise. But they are outliers. They do not represent the majority of Idaho parents, nor the majority of Idaho educators. Most of us simply want the freedom to use our education tax dollars in the way that helps our children thrive.

And no amount of disruption or revisionist storytelling will change that.

 Matthew Cutler is an Idaho parent and engineer with experience across multiple industries, driven by solving problems and helping others succeed. He is inspired every day by the support of family and friends