Idaho Private-School Tax Request Renewed Rep. Chenoweth Promises To Press Congress For Action

Private school advocates will ask the Idaho Legislature to again consider granting a state tax credit for parents who send their children to nonpublic schools and don’t use public school facilities.

Rep. Helen Chenoweth thinks it’s a good idea. In fact, she promised Thursday to continue to press Congress to adopt related legislation, allowing some sort of voucher system so parents can use public funds for private schools.

Chenoweth hosted a news conference in advance of the Tuesday Boise visit by House Speaker Newt Gingrich. It was at Foundations Academy, a private classical-Christian school with 72 students through the fifth grade.

The school will be a beneficiary of Gingrich’s visit. It is sponsoring “A Forum on Private Education,” featuring a dinner with Gingrich at $250 per couple. Proceeds will go to the academy.

Next door, Chenoweth will hold a fund-raising dinner to follow, with tickets up to $1,000 per couple for a private visit with Gingrich.

Chenoweth said she expected a big boost to her re-election campaign from the speaker’s visit, the fourth time he has been to Idaho since she was elected in 1994.

“I’m very enthused by the fact that he asked to come this time,” she said. “Usually it takes six months of hard negotiations to get him here.”

Joe Filicetti, board chairman for Foundations Academy, said he supports an effort to grant Idaho residents a tax credit of $1,500 per child in nonpublic schools. That’s on the theory that there will be a tax savings if children don’t use public school facility.

The Catholic Church in Idaho also is urging support for the tax credit.

Filicetti said Foundations Academy, which holds classes in space rented from a Baptist Church in south Boise, charges kindergarten and first-graders $1,800 per year and second through fifth grades $2,100 tuition. He said the local public school system spends more than twice as much per student.

Chenoweth said she planned to fly to Southern California on Thursday for a television show that night, then would attend Rep. Sonny Bono’s funeral in Palm Springs today.

xxxx

This sidebar appeared with the story: NO CREDIT Last year a bill calling for a $500 tax credit made it through the House but wasn’t seriously considered in the Idaho Senate. There are about 12,000 nonpublic students in Idaho, including private, parochial or home schoolers.