Republican agenda leaves our children behind

By Lauren Necochea
Reader Contributor

Raising a family takes work and sacrifice. Parents should be able to trust that their elected representatives are giving their kids a fair shot. In Idaho, Republican politicians are making that harder than it needs to be.

As summer begins, parents are already thinking about the classrooms their children will return to this fall. Idaho is giving them reason to worry. The state ranks last in the nation for per-student investment, and districts are cutting ahead of next year. Pocatello-Chubbuck is cutting 12 teaching positions and four counseling jobs after a $1.3 million drop in state funding. Middleton is cutting 26 positions, pausing new curriculum and trimming educational services after a failed levy.

Idaho still spends nearly $1,300 less per student than it did more than 20 years ago, when adjusting for inflation. That means larger classes, fewer counselors, lost learning opportunities, more pressure on teachers and local levies as bandages.

Summer also brings child care pressures into focus. Full-time, center-based care for two young children costs nearly $20,000 a year in Idaho. That price can decide whether a parent keeps working, takes a better job or pays the other bills. Idaho loses an estimated $668 million each year in lost earnings, productivity and revenue because families cannot find reliable care.

Republican lawmakers could have lowered costs, expanded access or supported local solutions. Instead, they passed House Bill 243, blocking local governments from setting stronger child care safety rules. Some also pushed to cut families from the Idaho Child Care Program, which helps working parents afford care.

Grocery bills are climbing, too. Idaho could have approved a summer food program that helps families buy groceries when school meals are unavailable. Instead, for the third year, Republican leaders blocked about 107,000 children from receiving a modest $120 in food assistance that would have also boosted local grocers.

Health coverage is another place where Idaho is failing kids. After pandemic-era Medicaid protections ended, Idaho moved quickly through eligibility checks, and thousands of children lost coverage. A new Georgetown University report found that Idaho now has 40,000 uninsured children, up from 28,000 in 2022. We have the nation’s second-fastest increase in the share of uninsured children.

There is a better path. Idaho Democrats are fighting to restore the state child tax credit that Republican leaders discontinued. We support investments that lower costs, strengthen schools, expand health coverage, improve access to child care and help families keep food on the table.

Idaho can be a place where families have a fair shot. But not by accepting last place for our kids or placing more burdens on working parents. Democrats have solutions. Give us the chance to govern, and we will deliver.

Lauren Necochea is chair of the Idaho Democratic Party and a former District 19 legislator. Necochea spent a decade leading nonprofit programs dedicated to research and advocacy in tax policy, health care and children’s issues.