Evaluation criteria

We are looking for candidates who will vote NO on vouchers, or who will at least work to fund public schools first.

There are many names…School Vouchers, Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), School Choice…but the idea is the same: Give public money (our tax dollars) to parents who are unhappy with public schools to help them pay for their kids to go to private schools.  In the case of Senate Bill 1 which was passed in the Texas Senate, but not the Texas House, during the last legislative session, the amount of money proposed was $8,000 annually for students going to a private school or $1,000 annually to cover homeschooling expenses. Recall that the basic per student allotment for public school is $6,160 annually.

Voucher supporters say we need vouchers so that low-income students can “escape failing schools.” We know from voucher plans in other states, however, that most of the voucher money ends up going to families who can ALREADY afford private schools and whose kids are ALREADY IN private schools.  Most private schools charge more than $8,000 in tuition, and then there are extra expenses such as books, uniforms and transportation.  All this extra expense puts private schools out of reach for truly low-income families, even if they were to receive a voucher.  Public schools serve all our kids while vouchers serve only a few – and usually those that don’t really need the extra financial help.

On top of that, the evidence for the effectiveness of voucher programs is weak. According to a recent article in The Economist, limited, targeted voucher programs implemented in the 1990’s and 2000’s seemed to hold promise, but more recent studies have been disappointing, with some even showing learning loss compared to public schools.

Vouchers are a distraction at best. At worst they drain funds and support from the public schools that serve the vast majority of our kids.   We don’t need vouchers to "save" a few students from failing schools; we need to fund public schools adequately, so they are not failing.

Unfortunately, Governor Greg Abbott does not agree.  He called four special sessions of the Texas Legislature last year because he is determined to pass a voucher plan.  Governor Abbott's support may make it seem like vouchers are a partisan issue, but they are not. Plenty of Republicans in the Texas House voted against vouchers - that’s why Abbott’s plan failed to pass. People from both parties understand that vouchers benefit only a few students. We need to focus on funding our public schools that benefit ALL kids.

Voucher supporters market their program as "school choice," but this so-called choice program undermines the real choice that most families count on: the choice to send their kids to a high quality public school in their neighborhood.

We must vote for candidates who will vote NO on vouchers or who will at least insist that we fully fund our public schools before we even consider funding vouchers.

 

Bonus info: Do we really need to worry about vouchers passing this time? YES! 

Important insights about School Vouchers

Most School Voucher Money Ends up Going to Religious Schools

School Vouchers (aka Education Savings Plans, “School Choice,” “Parent Choice,” etc.) are programs that allow parents to receive money from the state to use toward paying for private schools.  In the last legislative session, the Texas Senate passed a bill that would have allowed parents to receive up to $8,000 per student per year.  This bill did not pass the Texas House and so it did not become law.  Governor Abbott has promised to bring it up again in this next session. At Vote for ALL Kids we oppose school vouchers because we do not believe they make public schools, which serve all kids, better or stronger.

One reason some people oppose school vouchers is because vouchers are seen as a way to funnel state money to religious schools. The Texas Constitution ( Article 7, Sec 5 .2.C) states, “…The permanent school fund and the available school fund may not be appropriated to or used for the support of any sectarian school.”

What we have learned from voucher programs already operating in other states is that most voucher money ends up going to religious schools.  For example,  according to a recent article in the Washington Post, “In Ohio, the GOP legislature last year significantly expanded its voucher program to make almost every student eligible for thousands of dollars to attend private school. As a result, more than 150,000 students are paying tuition with vouchers this year -- up from about 61,000 in 2020. About 91 percent of this year's voucher recipients attend religious schools, the Post analysis found.”

If you look around McLennan County, you can see why this is probably true.  Most of the private schools in Waco, for example, are religious schools.  I can only think of two – Waco Montessori, and Van Guard Preparatory Academy – that are not religiously oriented.  If a child is going to private school in Waco, he/she is probably going to a religious school because that is most of what is available.

Speaking just for myself, I certainly do not have any problem with parents sending their children to religious schools.  At the same time, I do not necessarily want my tax money to be paying for tuition at a religious school where students may be learning beliefs very different from my own.  If having public money pay for religious schools rubs you the wrong way, then you should vote against candidates who will vote for school vouchers. If you are in McLennan County that means you should vote for Albert Hunter (TX House 13) or Erin Shank (TX House 56).