It was a start in the right direction.
There is a lot of outside money directed at any state that considers a pro-education choice bill. Via Idaho Ed News:
The Senate Education Committee will not hold a hearing on a controversial private school scholarship bill, effectively killing the proposal for the year, the bill’s sponsor and the leaders of three education groups said Tuesday.
Rep. John Vander Woude told Idaho Education News he learned Monday night that HB 590 will not receive a hearing.
“(I’m) disappointed, because I believe there has been a lot of misinformation on what this bill actually does,” said Vander Woude, R-Nampa. “At this point, we’re still ignoring the kids with needs, the kids with risk, in their education process. And the longer we ignore it the more harm it does. ”
Senate Education Committee Chairman Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls, confirmed reports that his committee won’t hear the bill.
“It is important to know that I visited with a large group of people — I visited with my committee, with other members of the Senate — and with that consideration, I decided it was in best interest to hold House Bill 590,” Mortimer said.
Idaho Association of School Administrators Executive Director Rob Winslow and Idaho Rural Schools Association Director Harold Ott also said they learned Monday night that the bill won’t be heard. Although an official agenda had not been released, they were gearing up for another hearing on the bill, initially scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s been pulled,” Winslow said.