Analysis: Convention illustrates the deepening divide within Idaho GOP

Kevin Richert, IdahoEdNews.org

COEUR D’ALENE (IdahoEdNews.org) — While Republican delegates debated a seismic displacement successful acquisition argumentation connected June 15, Idaho’s Republican authorities schools superintendent was a spectator.

A nonvoting attendee astatine nan GOP convention, Debbie Critchfield could only watch arsenic delegates called for defunding Idaho’s higher acquisition system. Not that Critchfield — who doubles arsenic a personnel of nan State Board of Education — was precisely a disinterested observer.

“I was supra nan area wherever nan delegates were seated and people, during it, (were) looking astatine maine … benignant of like, ‘What is this? Does this mean what I deliberation it means?'” Critchfield said successful an question and reply Tuesday.

There is nary amended metaphor for nan yawning gorge betwixt Idaho GOP’s mainstream governmental leaders and nan hardline statement activists who called nan shots at past weekend’s Republican normal successful Coeur d’Alene.

From extracurricular nan convention’s metaphorically smoke-filled rooms, it’s intolerable to cognize precisely what GOP delegates thought they were voting for. That’s because most normal events were closed to nan news media. Party chair Dorothy Moon, re-elected to a 2nd two-year word Saturday, told Clark Corbin of nan Idaho Capital Sun that she considers nan Idaho GOP a “private association.”

That whitethorn beryllium so, but this “private association” exerts sizeable weight successful nan nationalist argumentation debate. As it did connected higher education.

The new language amends a conception of nan level that reads, “We powerfully support master method and continuing acquisition programs that supply profession readiness and assemblage preparation.” The amendment adds that Republicans “do not support utilizing payer backing for programs beyond precocious school.” (Republicans inserted akin wording to a level plank supporting acquisition “to create a well-trained workforce.”)

Is this connection a broadside pointed astatine Idaho Launch — Gov. Brad Little’s new and celebrated $70.8 cardinal postsecondary danasiwa program, which has divided Statehouse Republicans? Or is nan connection directed astatine higher acquisition much broadly?

The writer of nan level amendment explained his objectives to Idaho Education News Wednesday.

“Launch is only nan astir egregious illustration of taxpayers being forced to money postsecondary schooling,” said Scott Tilmant of Caldwell, responding to a bid of emailed questions from EdNews. “I judge nan authorities should not beryllium progressive successful ‘higher education’ astatine all. I do judge that continuing acquisition is important, but not pinch payer money. The individual should beryllium making that decision.”

Tilmant made an statement that has surfaced earlier successful nan Launch debate: The state’s Constitution mandates that Idaho money K-12 schools, but is silent connected postsecondary education. Federal and authorities subsidies “obscure nan existent cost” of postsecondary education, Tilmant said, and nan publically funded schools thrust up tuition costs.

“There are galore backstage organizations, charities, and foundations that perpetrate millions of dollars successful scholarships,” Tilmant wrote. “Why do we request to return money from hard-working taxpayers connected apical of that?”

From nan gallery, Critchfield said she was witnesser to a statement that ran nan gamut of higher acquisition topics. Delegates brought up diversity, equity and inclusion programs, a reliable hot-button taxable wrong GOP circles. Launch besides was a talking constituent — though an effort to constrictive nan level connection to Launch failed. A big of higher acquisition issues each came to a head, she said.

“I didn’t locomotion distant from that chat and that ballot throwing my hands up successful nan air, and saying Republicans don’t attraction astir education,” Critchfield said.

But if nan level connection intends what it explicitly says, past it calls for defunding higher education. Idaho’s four-year schools will person $365 cardinal successful authorities taxation dollars adjacent year. The organization colleges will person astir $64 million. The State Board will put much than $25 cardinal of authorities taxation dollars into nan Opportunity Scholarship and different assemblage financial aid. Then there’s $70.8 cardinal for Launch.

That’s north of half a cardinal dollars, for starters.

But if Idaho were to defund higher education, career-technical training and workforce improvement programs would almost surely autumn to nan K-12 system, Critchfield said. And that, successful turn, would unit a rewrite of nan K-12 budget.

In written statements Wednesday, Little and Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke took identical rumor pinch their party’s normal delegates. The higher ed level language, they some said, does not bespeak nan sentiment of nan “vast majority” of Idaho Republicans.

Both doubled down connected higher ed.

“My committedness to strengthening nan system by training nan adjacent procreation does not extremity astatine precocious schoolhouse graduation,” Little said. “The authorities has helped generations of Idahoans person their post-high schoolhouse assemblage education, including my children and me.”

Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke touts Idaho Launch astatine an arena astatine Middleton High School successful March. | Darren Svan, Idaho EdNews

“Our authorities colleges, universities, and method acquisition programs are much than schools – they are investments successful nan early prosperity of nan Gem State,” said Bedke, who sat successful connected Saturday’s normal events arsenic a nonvoting attendee. “And if we want our kids to take to enactment successful Idaho, we cannot return distant nan state’s support for these acquisition opportunities; otherwise, they will time off and look for them elsewhere.”

A statement level only has nan powerfulness value that candidates and voters connect to it. Do candidates travel nan level pinch unfailing fealty? Do voters expect strict adherence to nan level — and punish candidates who stray from nan statement line?

And connected nan different broadside of nan coin, if nan level strays excessively acold from celebrated opinion, do candidates consciousness for illustration they person a licence to disregard it?

“You’re going to spot a existent differentiation betwixt nan statement and elected legislators,” Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen, R-Idaho Falls, told Logan Finney of “Idaho Reports” during nan convention.

Mickelsen knows a point aliases 2 astir a level fight. In March, Republicans successful Mickelsen’s legislative territory censured her for failing to support nan GOP platform. Last month, Mickelsen easy secured a 2nd word successful office, winning a three-person superior pinch 60% of nan vote.

The conflict complete what passes for mainstream GOP reasoning didn’t commencement successful Coeur d’Alene past weekend, and it won’t extremity immoderate clip soon. In a impermanent sentiment Thursday, Moon put a liking successful nan ground, connected behalf of her convention’s rank and file.

“It is not extremists who are successful charge. It is nan people,” she wrote. “What is truthful utmost astir saying that nan authorities should only walk taxation dollars wherever constitutionally required?”

It’s not astir truthful simple, of course. Republican delegates endorsed a monumental alteration successful nan acquisition Idaho pays for — and doesn’t salary for. That only amplifies nan disharmony wrong nan GOP.

More astir nan level from Laura Guido of nan Idaho Press.

Kevin Richert writes a play study connected acquisition argumentation and acquisition politics. Look for his stories each Thursday.