Laura Bray is chair of the Kendall County Democratic Party in Texas, and she has some pointed thoughts about Governor Greg Abbott’s continued push for school vouchers published in an op-ed for the Boerne Star.
After Election Day, Gov. Greg Abbott is more confident than ever that he has the votes to pass his “school choice” voucher program during next year’s session of the Texas Legislature, which gavels in on Jan. 14.
It’s not “school choice” as Republicans say, but “school’s choice.” Public schools educate all students. Private schools choose whom to admit, what to teach and have no accountability.
Private schools are not held to the same standards as public schools. They don’t have to demonstrate student progress by using state-mandated tools; they can discriminate against children with disabilities; they do not provide transportation; and they do not provide free or reducedprice lunch programs.
A majority of Texas voters do not want vouchers, despite Republican statements that we do; 65% of voters in Gillespie County, a heavily Republican county, oppose school vouchers (Fredericksburg Standard, 10/9/2024).
A few other important facts: The costs of a voucher program are astronomical. Arizona’s voucher program, enacted in 2022, “will likely bankrupt the state,” according to Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs. Voucher costs in 2023 were over five times an initial $65 million estimate. (Source: NEA) Boerne ISD employs more than 1,500 people, three times the number of the no. 2 employer, H-EB. School vouchers will divert even more funding away from public schools, necessitating draconian cuts in school budgets … and likely, employment.
60% of Texas counties don’t even have a private school.
“For these places, public schools are often some of the last vestiges of civic life,” said state Rep. James Talarico.
Texas schools already rank 42nd nationally in per-pupil spending, and yet Abbott and Republicans want to pull even more dollars away from public education, in order to give a handout to wealthy families who don’t need it.
