"Schooled" On The Law IN Public Education

According to an October 9, 2023 report from National Public Radio, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that the latest special session will focus on school vouchers and the creation of a state deportation force — two highly controversial issues that have failed in previous special and regular sessions. “We will chart a brighter future for all Texas children by empowering parents to choose the best education option for their child,” Abbott said in a news release.

This will be Abbot’s second attempt at  creating education savings accounts thta would allow families to use taxpayer money to cover the cost of private schooling. However, a school voucher program is not universally popular with Reublican legislators. State Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, who voted against school vouchers in the past, told The Texas Newsroom he remains steadfast in his opposition.

“They throw around the term school choice,” Nichols said, referring to Republicans who support school vouchers. “Well, you’ve got a school choice already today. You have the right to take your child to public school, if you don’t like that public school and you want to go to the adjacent public school, we already have provisions on the books so you can take your child to the adjacent public school.”

Currently, 32 states and the District of Columbia offer some form of private school voucher programs. According to EdChoice, there are 12 states with education savings accounts (ESAs), 26 voucher programs in 15 states and others have implemented tax credit accounts, scholarships and deductions. 

The reality is that politically ambitious state elected officials, such as Abbot and Gov. DeSantis in Florida are advocating for vouchers only to pander to a very vocal base on the religous right. In addition to the fact that theses programs divert funding from public education, Education Week state data shows funding through the universal choice programs often goes to students who are already enrolled in private schools. Last year, the Arizona education department reported that 75% of students who applied for the state’s universal ESA program had never attended public school.