The issue has taken on new urgency as Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have repeatedly said they intend to push harder this year for a policy to spread tax dollars from public schools to private schools or home schools.
School choice isn’t a new issue in Texas, but it has taken on new urgency as Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have repeatedly said they intend to push harder this year for a policy to spread tax dollars from public schools to private schools or home schools.
This week is National School Choice Week, and advocates are pressing for so-called voucher programs in statehouses around the country. Arizona last year passed a universal school voucher program, where private schools can receive funds for students transferring from public schools, and now other states including Iowa, Florida and Texas are attempting to follow suit.
BACKGROUND: ‘Parents Matter’ advocates set sights on school vouchers in 2023, but will the Texas House go along?
As the largest Republican-controlled state in the country, Texas is seen by proponents as ripe for voucher policies. Debate over the issue is sure to be heated throughout this year’s legislative session, which goes through May.
Many of you have questions. Let’s get to it.
What does school choice mean in Texas?
“School choice” refers to policies that promote alternatives to traditional public schools, such as private schools, home schools and charter schools.
Republicans often argue that schools are more effective with less government regulation, and many say that more competition between schools — enabled by parents having more options, or “school choice” — leads to better results.
Who opposes school choice and why?
Opposition comes from supporters of the traditional public school system. A majority of students are likely to attend traditional public schools even if there’s a universal voucher program, and those schools would lose funding for every student that transfers to a different kind of school.
This already happens in Texas with charter schools, for example.
Last year in Houston, about 45,000 students transferred from the ISD to charter schools, resulting in a loss to the district of at least $276 million. That’s counting only the basic allotment received by the districts, excluding special education funding or other allotments.
In San Antonio, the two largest school districts are Northside ISD and North East ISD. More than 12,000 Northside students transferred to charter schools in the 2021-2022 school year, as did just under 8,000 from North East ISD. That means Northside lost at least $75 million, while North East lost $50 million, using the same basic allotment figures.
Is there support for school vouchers in Texas?
Abbott and Patrick have both said they intend to push for a voucher program in this year’s session. In the past, voucher legislation passed the Texas Senate but not the House, where it has been blocked in recent years by a coalition of Democrats and rural Republicans.
In rural areas, school districts are often the cultural centers and employ a large portion of people in the community, making rural lawmakers especially sensitive to policies affecting their funding.
This time, Patrick said the voucher legislation may be written to only apply to urban areas, as a way to win over more votes. That is a similar path to the one taken by voucher advocates in the 2005 Legislative session, the last time the policy was considered on the floor of the House.
Last year, the Supreme Court opened the door for religious schools to be included in state voucher programs. This may help broaden support for voucher policies in Texas, and Republicans have particularly tried to connect with Hispanic communities, which often have strong Catholic roots, over the issue.
While the basic dynamics against vouchers are the same as in recent years, there is also more energy and enthusiasm among voucher advocates than in those years.
Does Texas have a voucher program? Which other states do?
No. There are voucher programs in 15 states, plus Washington D.C. The states are Arkansas, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, Vermont and Wisconsin.
How could the school choice program be expanded?
There’s a wide range of possibilities for school choice programs.
In other states such as Florida, early voucher programs have often been limited to families in struggling school districts, children from low-income families or students with special needs.
Advocates for traditional public schools call this the “camel’s nose under the tent” approach, with the theory being that any limited voucher program is an inevitable precursor to a universal program coming down the line. This is exactly what unfolded in Arizona and is now happening in Florida.
That’s why those who oppose vouchers often won’t budge on even tightly limited programs.
This will be something to keep a close eye out for in Texas: will school choice advocates put more energy into trying to pass a limited voucher program, or will they instead try for a universal program right away?
edward.mckinley@chron.com