House Bill 289 Summary

• Establishes the Idaho Education Opportunity Program (IEOP), administered by the state department of education, to provide grants to qualifying students whose household adjusted gross income is under $70,000.

• Creates an IEOP fund in the state treasury funded by legislative appropriations, donations, and interest, with 80% of average per-student distribution deposited to individual student accounts and 20% distributed to prior school districts.

• Allows IEOP funds to be used for tuition at qualified schools, textbooks, transportation, educational therapies, assessment fees, tutoring, internet access, and specified technological devices, but not for electronic equipment more than once every five years.

• Requires parents to apply by June 15 annually, agree not to enroll students in public schools, and renew accounts yearly with students demonstrating grade-level performance or one-grade improvement on nationally normed assessments.

• Effective January 1, 2024; amends Section 33-1030 to allow students under the IEOP with adjusted gross income under $40,000 to use education savings accounts for qualified school tuition.