‘Angry and frustrated’: Teachers’ union issues vote of no confidence in Idaho governor
Published at
Ryan Suppe, IdahoEdNews.org
BOISE (IdahoEdNews.org) — Gov. Brad Little has officially lost support of the teachers’ union after he signed a “union-busting” bill earlier this month.
The Idaho Education Association (IEA) issued a vote of no confidence in the Republican governor over the weekend. Members “overwhelmingly” supported the motion as part of IEA’s Delegate Assembly, the union’s annual business meeting, according to a news release.
The rebuke comes after Little signed House Bill 516, legislation that heavily restricts the ways school districts can accommodate a broad range of “union activities.”
“Our members have spoken clearly,” IEA President Layne McInelly said in the news release. “They are angry and frustrated with the governor. They feel his choice to sign House Bill 516, when there were so many reasons to veto it, is a betrayal of his claims to be a supporter of Idaho’s educators and public schools.”
Idaho Education News has reached out to the governor’s office for comment.
IEA members endorsed Little in the 2018 general election and during the 2022 GOP primary. Little is running for reelection this year — this time, without the union’s support amid a crowded primary field.
The last time IEA publicly withdrew its support for an elected leader was in 2024. The union rescinded its 2022 endorsement of Rep. Ted Hill, R-Eagle, after he sponsored bills “that ran directly counter to IEA members’ pro-public education policy priorities and IEA member interests.”
Union members over the weekend also contemplated revoking Little’s “Champion of Education” award but kept it in place. Little received the recognition in 2024. Other recent winners include former Rep. Julie Yamamoto, a Republican from Caldwell (2023); Quinn Perry, deputy director of the Idaho School Boards Association (2025); and former Rep. Jack Nelsen, a Republican from Jerome (2026).
“The governor should not share this award with people who truly champion education and our members,” IEA organizer Peggy Hoy said in the news release.