The House Education Committee, on a divided voice vote, has approved legislation to let the state's charter schools tap into a share of the bond levy equalization fund that now subsidizes a small part of voter-approved building bonds for school districts. Charter school supporters estimate that the cost to the state next year at $370,000 if HB 663 passes; the bill just was introduced this week. Rep. Reed DeMordaunt, R-Eagle, told the committee that voters around the state on Tuesday approved school bond levies - to raise their own property taxes for their local schools - but those levies don't benefit any charter schools, though charter school students' families still pay them like anyone else; charter schools don't have taxing authority, relying instead fully on state per-student funding.

Rep. Brian Cronin, D-Boise, noted that the bill would mean all state taxpayers would subsidize building-debt decisions approved by the board of a charter school, when regular school districts can't tap the funds without two-thirds approval of voters.  "Currently with this equalization fund we subsidize decisions that emerge from the wisdom of the general populace, and all qualified voters have the ability to ratify or deny a districit's request," he said. "If this bill passes, we as a state are no longer just subsidizing these decisions that are made by general voters, but decisions that are made by a handful of people."

John Gannon, a Boise attorney, former state lawmaker and current legislative candidate, spoke against the bill. "I don't think that the state can afford to start a second school system until it pays for the one that it has now," he said, adding that if the state were to subsidize loans taken out by charter schools, it should have liens or some type of security. The bill now moves to the full House.