Idaho's public schools are already the worst-funded schools in the nation. Idaho has the lowest per-student expenditures in the nation again this year coming in at $6682 less per student than the national average.

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Meanwhile, the State of Idaho boasted record surpluses in 2021 (~$900 million) and in 2022 (~$2 billion). Instead of using this money to increase education funding, to help fast-growing districts build new schools, or help schools with outdated and crumbling buildings they cut taxes (mostly helping big businesses) costing the state about $600 million per year.

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Voucher programs would further defund public schools by incentivizing parents to pull their students out of public schools. Different voucher bills do this in different ways. The most extreme of the recent voucher bills proposed in the Idaho legislature, 2023s SB1038, would have given parents $6000/student for educational expenses if they pulled their kids out of public school. Parents could then use this money for pretty much anything they wanted - for example, "tutoring or teaching services provided by an individual or facility". No qualifications or limitations on who could be considered a "tutor" were included in the bill, among other problems.  (This bill passed in committee, and then failed on the Senate floor.)

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Idaho's public school funding is based on attendance. So, when students leave a public school district, the funding for the district is reduced. ​

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Public school districts have fixed costs that don't change when some students leave. As the graphic on the left illustrates, fewer students doesn't result in big savings for a school district. Fixed costs include funding for the principal, utilities, teachers, school nurse, counselor, custodian, librarian, facilities, and transportation.

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Removing students from public schools diverts funding from public school districts that are already severely underfunded to private, religious and/or for-profit schools.​​​