Idaho’s Constitution requires that the state “establish and maintain a general, uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools.”

It doesn’t take much digging to realize that Idaho’s schools are not uniform.  Current policy creates an inequitable system of funding depending on the district the student resides in, and the resources a district can offer to the student are tied to the dollars available.

We also know that Idaho’s schools have increasingly turned to levies and fees to pay for essential services resulting in a wider disparity between “have” and “have-not” districts.  Such a system is certainly not uniform, the levy taxes create an inherently unequal education opportunities, and the fees are far from “free” as the constitution requires.

Idaho’s Promise advocates for laws and policies that provide a first-rate equitable and uniform learning experience for every student in Idaho’s classrooms as the constitution requires

Current issues of concern are an unbalanced system of taxation to fund districts, corporate ties to public charter schools, untrained professionals working with students as “highly qualified” instructors including Teach for America (TFA) employees, and corporate interference in public education policy through the guise of “philanthropy.”

This site is a platform to help encourage productive discussion, debate, and positive outcomes of education policy in Idaho.