Public School Teacher Jeffrey Watkins Launches Candidacy For Idaho House of Representatives, District 16

Public school educator and union leader Jeffrey Watkins has announced his bid for District 16A’s Idaho State Representative seat. Drawing on his experiences as Vice President of Idaho Education Association Region 9, union representative for Meridian Academy High School, and member of the West Ada Education Association Executive Board, Watkins will be a strong voice for Idaho’s teachers and workers in the Statehouse.

“Twenty years ago, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled that Idaho is failing to fulfill its constitutional mandate to fully fund our schools, and to this day, nothing has changed. As a teacher, I haven’t just read reports–I’ve seen the damage firsthand. Year after year, districts are forced to run supplemental bonds and levies just to keep basic daily operations running. When those fail, class sizes get bigger, staff gets cut, and vital facility maintenance gets delayed. Our students, teachers, and families deserve better.”

As a legislator, Watkins will advocate for full funding of public schools statewide, and oppose the use of public funds for private schools and vouchers.

Watkins leads with the belief that all Idahoans deserve to live with dignity—which means access to good education, fair economic opportunities, a clean environment, and quality healthcare. 

As a lifelong Idahoan and Boise State University alum, Watkins is firmly woven into the civic life of the Boise community. He has supported local organizations doing important work for our democracy, education system and environment as a volunteer and grassroots organizer. From these experiences, Watkins has spent dozens of hours listening to the experiences of the community and broadening his understanding of the challenges Idahoans face.

“Idaho’s history is full of regular people who stepped off the sidelines and took a stand to demand that our government does better for the people, and I intend to join that legacy now to build an Idaho that works for everyone, not just the few.”