The Idaho School Boards Association Doesn’t Want to Be Caught Holding the Bag
When the Idaho Education Association (IEA) and its national puppet master, the NEA, launched a full-blown campaign to knock off Republican legislators in the 2024 primary, they made a tactical error—they exposed just how openly political the teachers’ unions have become.
And now? Some of their closest allies are scrambling to put distance between themselves and the wreckage.
Enter: the Idaho School Boards Association (ISBA).
The IEA Took Its Shot—And Missed Badly
During the last election cycle, the IEA spent thousands backing left-leaning candidates and anti-reform Republicans in a desperate bid to stop HB 98 and preserve the taxpayer-funded pipeline that fuels their political activism. They lost. Badly. And Idaho voters got wise to who was pulling the strings.
The union’s attacks on conservative lawmakers—especially those supporting school choice, parental rights, and union dues reform—were vicious. But they weren’t clever. Because for once, they did it out in the open.
Now, with the public paying attention, organizations like the ISBA are suddenly trying to act like they had nothing to do with it.
Nice Try, But the Paper Trail Is Clear
The ISBA claims neutrality, but their own records show thousands of dollars funneled toward “electioneering” and PAC donations that align neatly with union-backed candidates. Now that the heat’s on, they want to rewrite the story.
Their public explanation? They didn’t intend to make political contributions—just bookkeeping errors. Honest mistake. Nothing to see here.
Except, of course, there is.
These “mistakes” just so happened to benefit the same candidates the IEA was backing. The same ones fighting against HB 98. The same ones who think taxpayers should continue subsidizing the very unions trying to transform Idaho classrooms into political training camps.
Coincidence? We don’t think so.
When Unions and Bureaucrats Collude, Students Lose
Let’s be clear: the ISBA doesn’t represent parents. It doesn’t represent taxpayers. It represents school administrators. Bureaucrats. The exact type of people who benefit from maintaining the union-driven status quo.
So when the ISBA gets caught playing footsie with the IEA, it’s not just a bad look—it’s a clear sign of who they really serve.
Because if the ISBA were serious about putting students first, they’d have been the loudest voice demanding an end to automatic dues deductions and political indoctrination in schools. Instead, they sat silently while the IEA poured money into defeating the very lawmakers trying to make that happen.
HB 98 Is the Line in the Sand
As this bill moves through the Senate, the divide is clear:
You’re either on the side of parents, students, and education reform—
Or you’re carrying water for the unions.
And while groups like the ISBA scramble to sanitize their public image, Idaho voters aren’t fooled.
The question every Senator should be asking right now is this:
Am I representing the people who elected me—or the union allies who want to keep Idaho schools under their control?
The answer will be obvious come vote time.
