Dallas ISD superintendent Stephanie Elizalde used district resources to once again assail school choice in a message to parents and community members.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Elizalde has been vocal in her opposition to school choice legislation, often claiming that such a policy would result in traditional public schools running with considerably less taxpayer money to fund operations.
“I have nothing against private schools. Some of them, in fact, have volunteer relationships with our schools. I just object to diverting public dollars to pay for private school tuition. … Our Board of Trustees has taken a unanimous stand against using public tax dollars to pay for private school subsidies,” said Elizalde in a news brief published on Dallas ISD’s blog.
She went on to criticize some of the bills being considered by the Texas Legislature, which is currently in its fourth special legislative session.
“Dallas ISD will oppose HB1 even though it does include additional funding for schools because, first, much of the money is obligated, and at best infringes upon local decisions that should be made by elected school board trustees,” claimed Elizalde. “Second, HB 1 contains unfunded mandates for early learning, and third, it includes unrestricted vouchers eventually redirecting billions of state dollars to private schools, ultimately reducing funding for public school districts like ours.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the fate of school choice is currently in limbo in Austin, where state lawmakers in the House recently voted to kill a school choice component in the chamber’s latest education spending bill.
“I think just this week we’re going to have some time to kind of let the dust settle a little bit with Thanksgiving and enjoy some time with our families. And, you know, next week, we’ll be back up in Austin,” said Rep. Jacey Jetton (R-Katy), speaking with Fox 7.
He went on to express his support for school choice, arguing, “When you put the government in control of pay, it can only go to their school, based on your zip code or geographical location. … That’s not … freedom.”
Polling indicates broad support for school choice across most racial, political, and geographical demographics in Texas. Additionally, many public school systems in the state have been steadily losing students to educational alternatives like private school and homeschooling.
“Traditional K-12 schools are hemorrhaging enrollment due to growing concerns over content, quality, and the politicization of the classroom. This steep decline is evidence that parents are ready for something different, something better,” James Quintero of the Texas Public Policy Foundation previously told The Dallas Express.
Dallas ISD underperformed on its student achievement outcomes, according to the latest Texas Education Agency accountability report for the 2021-2022 school year. Only 41% of students scored at grade level on their STAAR exams, and almost 20% of the district’s graduating Class of 2022 did not earn a diploma in four years, despite the hard work of the district’s dedicated educators.
