The battle over school vouchers in Texas

AUSTIN, Texas — Some people call them school vouchers; others refer to them as Education Savings Accounts, or ESAs. But whatever you call them, if they become law in Texas, it would mean taxpayer money going to parents who may send their children to private schools.

Texas is the largest Republican-led state without some type of school voucher plan, but that could change. Several pro-voucher Republicans sailed to victory on Election Day, and Gov. Greg Abbott says he has the votes to make school vouchers a reality in Texas.

But not everyone agrees on them. Depending on which side of the issue you’re on, vouchers will either lead to the downfall of public schools or give parents more choices on where their children are educated.

It’s a complex issue with strong feelings on both sides. For this report, we spoke with both supporters and opponents of vouchers.

Some parents and lawmakers are on the front lines supporting what is often called the “school choice” movement.    

Jessica Vasquez drives one hour, twice a day, so her children can attend the close-knit Cathedral School at St. Mary in the heart of Downtown Austin.

There are many low-income parents who send their children to St Mary’s. They value a religious education and would welcome extra help from the state to pay tuition.

“I want my children to be loving and compassionate, you know, caring people that, you know, in the future, they can learn to reason, not only with their mind but with their heart,” Vasquez said.

Catholic schools would be among the private and charter schools in Texas that would benefit if taxpayer money is set aside to help parents pay tuition and other education costs.

Texas Catholic leaders, along with others advocates in the school choice movement, say they would work to ensure families in need are first in line.

“If you put it in the bill, it will be followed because that’s the law,” said Jennifer Allmon, the executive director of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops. “Most of the legislators who are supporting this bill are financially conservative, fiscally conservative, and they don’t want to see this become a coupon book for the rich. They want to make sure that you’re providing access to people who don’t have it otherwise and couldn’t afford it on their own.”

That’s the same sentiment expressed by State Rep. Brad Buckley, who leads the House Public Education Committee. 

KVUE caught up with Buckley as he took a tour of a private school for children with special needs in Killeen – where he says parents would benefit from state money to help pay tuition.

But he is quick to point out that his wife, mother and grandmother were all public school teachers and he still believes in public schools.

“You know, that’s the part, I think, that was really so disheartening, was this feeling that, you know, if parents had a choice, they would flee their public schools. And I just reject that. I know that’s not true,” Buckley said. “But if your kids aren’t learning, or the environment isn’t right for your kid, why in the world would we not give parents an option?”

Vouchers, in the form of Education Savings Accounts, were Gov. Greg Abbott’s top priority during the last legislative session in 2023. But a rare coalition of small town Republicans and Democrats were able to defeat a bill that would have given parents around $10,500 per child to pay for private school tuition, tutoring, transportation and other education-related expenses.

More than 5 million children attend public schools in Texas, and school districts receive funding based on their average daily attendance. If Education Savings Accounts become a reality, public school advocates fear enrollment will plummet and less money will be poured into already shrinking school district budgets.

But Buckley insists that no more than 6-7% of students would take advantage of vouchers, and he believes well-funded public schools, teacher pay raises and more state money per student can still go hand-in-hand with Education Savings Accounts in Texas.

“We will absolutely have a school finance bill next session. We will appropriate more money for public schools,” Buckley said. “We have to work on these issues. Our public schools need the resources; parents need an option. I stand ready to move both of those full steam ahead.”

But this is just one side of the story. There is powerful opposition from people who say any type of voucher-like program will undermine public education in Texas – and they aren’t ready to give up the fight.

While some Texans think school vouchers are a way to move education in Texas forward, others say using taxpayer money to fund private education could seriously impact public schools in the state.

Henrix Lopez is all smiles when he scrambles off the school bus each day. The energetic fifth grader loves learning, and his mom is pleased with the progress he’s making in Austin public schools.

Jeanne Lopez is dead-set against any form of school vouchers. In 2020, the mother of three and her family moved to Austin from Indiana – a state where vouchers have been in place for more than a decade.

“So, you had to be in poorly-rated schools. You had to be low-income to qualify for the voucher. I was both of those things, so I thought, ‘Great’ – you know? My daughter’s school was sadly a low-performing school, so I thought, ‘Let’s check out this voucher,'” she said. “I found out the two closest private schools to us did not accept vouchers.”

Lopez joined the chorus of protests against passing school vouchers during the last legislative session. She even testified at a hearing on the issue this summer at the Texas State Capitol.

She said she is fighting vouchers because as school choice expanded in Indiana and more families became eligible, public schools suffered – losing teachers, students and resources.

“I just realized it was not an equitable system. And it doesn’t give parents choice, and it hurts the schools and it hurts the kids,” Lopez said.

State Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin) is a member of the powerful House Public Education Committee, where any new voucher bill will go first.

“Across the country, vouchers disproportionately help wealthy families who are already sending their kids to private schools,” Talarico said during a hearing.

He’s a former public school teacher and one of the most vocal critics of vouchers.

“Public schools are suffering because they don’t have nearly the funding they need. We are 43rd in the nation in per-student funding,” Talarico said. “So I can’t, in good conscience, can’t take from that pot of money to send dollars to unaccountable private institutions that we as citizens have no say over. That is where I draw the line.”

Talarico was part of a rare coalition of Democrats and small town Republicans who fought off vouchers together in the 2023 session of the Legislature. 

But this year, most of the Republicans who voted down vouchers were voted out of office. Talarico said the pro-voucher candidates elected to take their place were backed by wealthy donors who are pushing for vouchers in Texas.

“They have bought our governor, our lieutenant governor and they bought too many of the legislators,” Talarico said. “And so, now, they are trying to push forward this extreme agenda that will defund schools and hurt rural communities in particular.”

Public schools in rural communities are huge employers and often the center of civic life.

“And the fact that they know public schools are very important is what had them fighting to stop vouchers,” said Ovidia Molina, president of the Texas State Teachers Association,

Molina said the majority of public school teachers in Texas – rural and suburban – are against vouchers.

A recent poll showed 89% of Texas K-12 public school employees say they’re concerned private school vouchers and expanded taxpayer money for charter schools will hurt public schools.

“Because no matter what anybody says, if you are creating a pot of money for private schools, privatization, it’s going to take away from our public schools,” Molinda said.

Both Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have listed so-called “school choice” among their top priorities for the upcoming legislative session. So Texans will have to wait and see what happens when lawmakers head back to the Capitol.

The 89th Texas Legislature will convene on Jan. 14.