COEUR d'ALENE — Should your tax dollars go to private schools?

This was the question posed Wednesday evening during the Save Our Schools Idaho Town Hall at Lake City Center in Coeur d'Alene. The panel featured veteran North Idaho educators Michelle Lippert, Jamie Esler and Jeff Bengtson.

More than 200 people registered for the event, which focused on the law Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed in February known as the Parental Choice Tax Credit program that allows state funds to be used for private school tuition and educational expenses. The $50 million program gives families with children in private and homeschool programs tax credits of up to $5,000 to pay for education expenses or as much as $7,500 for students with special needs.

"How do we fight this?" asked Joshua Arvizu, a born-and-raised Coeur d'Alene resident with five children, four of whom are in public school.

He said this law is obviously opposed by a vast majority of Idahoans.

"Can we start a ballot initiative to overturn this terrible decision?" he said. "Because they just railroaded it through our state legislature, Brad signed off on it, nobody cared."

Moderator Marcy Curr, an Idaho educator and high school debate coach, responded that a petition has been started to allow Idahoans' voices to be heard.

"We fight it by doing this — not by screaming and yelling but sharing the factual information of how this is going to hurt the students in our public schools," Bengtson said.

Bengtson, who was the principal at Canfield Middle School when Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy was created, said he is not opposed to school choice.

"I know they're a publicly funded school, but they caused us to get better," he said. "We had to then fight for the students at our school. I like school choice; I just don't like my tax dollars going for that."

At least two community members who approached the microphone during the public comment section were in favor of taxpayer funds supporting private and homeschool tuition and fees while a vocal majority expressed their support for public schools.

Accountability, metrics and transparency were among the sticking points of the evening. The panelists shared how public schools are required to take attendance, give tests, account for every dollar spent and more while that isn't the case in other schools of choice.

Curr said Idaho's homeschool programs are not required to conduct the same kind of testing and graduation requirements as public schools, "which is why the homeschool associations in Idaho actually called in collectively and asked the governor not to do this."

One speaker who said he paid for his kids to go to private school said he makes too much money to qualify for the voucher program, so paying for public school is like paying insurance for a car he'll never drive. Esler responded that something to consider is that well over 90% of Idaho students attend public schools.

"Every time you go to a gas station or you check out at a fast food restaurant or you buy something at Lowe's, if that individual attended a public school, they are reading, they are literate and they are serving a function in our society," he said. "That is a return on that investment. You can't put a dollar onto that ... There are still benefits from the system that affect all people."

Curr thanked those in the audience for attending and choosing to have a conversation rather than conflict. She said their actions are helping to move Idaho forward, toward a peaceful, just and thriving state through civility.

"We know that we all come from different viewpoints, different faiths, different histories and different backgrounds," she said. "Those differences matter because they shape how we see the world, but in spite of those differences, what unites us is something just as important: A commitment to showing up, to listening and to talking through our challenges with respect."

The Sandpoint Save Our Schools Town Hall will be from 6:30 to 8 tonight at the Ponderay Event Center, 401 Bonner Mall Way. The Priest River Town Hall will be from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the West Bonner Library District, 118 Main St., Priest River; and the Post Falls Save Our Schools Town Hall with Post Falls Superintendent Dena Naccarato and Coeur d'Alene third grade teacher Moira DuCoeur will be from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Post Falls High School, 2832 E. Poleline Ave.

Info: saveourschoolsidaho.com

    Attendees clap Wednesday evening during the Coeur d'Alene Save Our Schools Town Hall at Lake City Center, during which community members and educators discussed whether taxpayer funds should be used for private schools.
  

    Lake City High School teacher Jamie Esler, center, answers an audience member question Wednesday during the Save Our Schools Coeur d'Alene Town Hall. Also pictured: Michelle Lippert and Jeff Bengtson.