A shadowy group that raised and spent more than $200,000 in anonymous contributions to fund statewide TV ads in favor of Propositions 1, 2 and 3, the school reform referenda, issued a defiant news release today headed, "Founders: 'We won't back down,'" asserting that it'll resume its activities to "talk to voters about education reform and make sure they understand the education issues on Idaho's ballot" in the final two weeks before the election - despite a legal dispute with the Idaho Secretary of State over the legality of the group not disclosing its contributors.

The group also distributed an op-ed piece to Idaho newspapers today, asserting that it was formed because "for too long, Idaho parents have been left on the sidelines of the political debate over education," because organizations represent school administrators, school board members and teachers, but "the most important voices in this process are often lost or outright ignored - there are too few groups advocating for the rights of parents with school-age children." That overlooks the Idaho PTA, a statewide organization with thousands of members.

According to its website, "Idaho PTA is the largest parent organization in the state" and is "an organization dedicated to the welfare of children and youth." At the Idaho PTA's annual convention in April, keynote speakers included state Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna, discussing the school reform measures, and national PTA President-Elect Otha Thornton. The Idaho PTA's legislative priorities this year were education funding, parent involvement and responsibility, endowment land management for the benefit of schools, and promoting child nutrition, health and safety. That group hasn't taken a position for or against the reform measures, but has been urging its members to research the measures and cast their votes accordingly.

John Foster, co-founder of Education Voters of Idaho, and former longtime Idaho state Rep. Debbie Field, R-Boise, who's also been the longtime campaign manager for Gov. Butch Otter, say in the op-ed that their group suffered "attacks," showing "just how dangerous a powerful group of motivated parents will be to a politicized system in desperate need of improvement and change." Foster said the group's statewide TV commercial wasn't pulled, but completed its two- to three-week run; the group then suspended all its activities, but now will restart all of them, despite the legal dispute with the state. "A decision about further television advertising hasn't been made yet," Foster said. You can read the op-ed piece here.