Ralph Smeed: A True Champion Of School Choice

Ralph Smeed is well known in Idaho and nationally as a champion of freedom — someone who, as he puts it, fights to “make statism unpopular.” What’s less known, but equally true, is that Ralph is one of the nation’s strongest supporters of expanding and promoting choice in public education. You see, Ralph understands the positive impact freedom and free markets have had on our public schools. The freedom for parents and students to pick the school that best meets their needs is an extraordinarily powerful thing. When schools don’t need to work hard in order to attract students, mediocrity sets in. Taxpayers wind up paying for underperforming schools. But when parents and students can pick where they’re educated — when schools compete for students — all schools must be at their best.

Ralph has long understood the power of school choice. He’s quite passionate about it and was early to lend his support to the charter school movement. He became a director of the Political Action Committee Idahoans for School Choice. Unlike many of the school choice supporters, Ralph went the extra mile to get Thomas Jefferson Charter School in Caldwell, up and running.  In fact, it is not a “stretch”  to say that Thomas Jefferson Charter School would not exist today without the help of Ralph Smeed. He provided nearly one million dollars of prime real estate for that school.   That donation of land provided the necessary support for that wonderful facility that today is home to one of Idaho’s premier charter schools.

Ralph is at a Texas clinic undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer.  Hundreds of  parents, students and staff are grateful for Ralph’s support and we all wish him a speedy recovery.