Gov. Greg Abbott has continued his call for educational savings accounts as the Senate has already passed school choice legislation during the third special session.
As reported by The Dallas Express, Abbott recalled the legislature in order to consider passing laws “providing education savings accounts for all Texas schoolchildren.” The proposal has encountered stiff resistance from Democrats, teachers’ unions, and public school lobbyists.
In a speech in Irving attended by The Dallas Express, Abbott explained that the special session call was designed “to ensure that every parent in the state of Texas will have the choice to decide which pathway would be best for their child to be educated.”
“Parental choice is the right thing to do for parents,” he continued. “Parents know better than anybody else whether or not their child is in an educational setting that’s right for them.”
He told several stories about parents who described the difficulty they faced in not being able to send their children to educational institutions that would better facilitate their learning needs.
“Out in Tyler, Texas, a tearful mom came up and talked to us who had a child with special education needs, and those special education needs were not being met by the local public school,” Abbott said. “She talked to the administrators about it and they said, ‘I’m sorry, there’s nothing more that we can do for you.’”
“What is that mom supposed to do other than cry?” he asked. “She loved her child, she wanted to help her child just like every other mother wants to help her child, but she had exhausted her ability to help her child. She could not move. She could not afford the cost of sending her child to a private school.”
“It’s mothers like that we are trying to help with school choice,” Abbott added.
“School choice is also the right thing to do for the voters of Texas,” he suggested. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat, independent, or Republican, the majority of each of those support school choice.”
Some statewide polls seem to support the governor’s claim.
In June, a poll by The Texas Politics Project found that 58% of Texans supported “establishing a voucher, educational savings account (ESA), or other ‘school choice’ program.” The majority included 77% of Republicans, 56% of independents, and 36% of Democrats. Most white, black, and Hispanic respondents registered their approval, as did most people living in urban, suburban, and rural locations.
Similarly, a University of Houston poll found that 53% of Texans would support a school choice program that helps all families without any income limitations or restrictions on religious school attendance. Black Texans who identified as Democrats logged the most support at 68%, followed by Latino Republicans (64%), then white Republicans (61%).
Nevertheless, Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde slammed the momentum for school choice, saying, “The Texas legislature has begun a special session to once again try to divert public school funds to pay for private school subsidies.”
“The one thing the Governor isn’t allowing the legislature to consider is the one thing we need: a funding increase for public schools,” she alleged. Currently, DISD’s budget is around $2.5 billion.
Elizalde demanded that teachers go and protest against the school choice legislation, saying, “What they’re not counting on is you. They’ve scheduled this special session during the school year in hopes that we’ll be too busy teaching children to speak up for them.”
Despite opposition, the Texas Senate passed an ESA plan that would provide $8,000 a year for education-related costs, including tuition to private schools. The bill passed 18 to 13 and was sent to the House for consideration.
Mandy Drogin at the Texas Public Policy Foundation explained in a statement received by The Dallas Express, “The politics is what has kept parents from having the freedom to select the best school for their children.”
“The unions, education lobbyists, and administrators, whose only goal is to rake more money into the system, worry that parental empowerment will erode their control and require greater accountability.”
