AUSTIN (KXAN) — Next week Texas lawmakers will likely start laying the groundwork to revive private school subsidy legislation, a policy goal that eluded Republicans despite attempts during several legislative sessions last year.
The Texas House of Representatives Committee on Public Education will meet Monday at 9 a.m. and discuss how the state could again work toward crafting its own education savings account (ESA) program. The agenda also specifies the members will talk about what other states are doing to implement ESAs.
There are currently 13 states that offer some version of an ESA to families — including Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia. It's unclear which of those might serve as a model for Texas, though that may come into sharper focus during Monday's meeting.
Next year's regular legislative session will test whether Gov. Greg Abbott can finally pass a school choice measure, one of his top priorities. He campaigned hard throughout the GOP primaries this year to oust several House incumbents who stood alongside Democrats to repeatedly block this legislation. Abbott now claims he'll have the support he needs to let families use public dollars to help pay for their children's private or home schooling.
Doree Collins, a former teacher from Temple who now home schools her four kids, said she'd like the governor to get his way.
"My hope is that, one, they do pass it, that they go ahead and listen to the voices of those who are at the ground, parents who are wanting different choices for their kiddos," Collins said. "But the other thing is, my biggest concern is that everyone is seen in this process. Many times, when things are being legislated and things are passed, a lot of times, the Black communities will not be seen as part of the narrative. A lot of times now, you will see Black parents wanting different opportunities for their kids because these public school spaces tend to neglect the education that is needed for Black youth to understand their history and to understand that there's a lot that goes into who they are, so that's something that's been neglected. That's something that I'm working to create a community for. I'm hoping that all people are considered as this is hopefully pushed through."
However, opposition to any version of an ESA remains unshaken for Daphne Hoffacker, the mother of an Austin Independent School District student and the advocacy chair for the Austin Council of PTAs.
"I do understand that there are parents out there who are desperate for a better education for their kids, and I 100% get that. What I am saying is that this is an expensive, kind of ridiculous path to go on to get that better attainment," Hoffacker, who plans to attend Monday's hearing, said. "We have public schools that are underfunded. We have a responsibility, in fact, a constitutional responsibility, to fully support those schools, and as long as that's not happening, any other conversation about diverting our money to other school systems is irresponsible."
State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, the Austin Democrat who serves as the chairwoman of the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee, previously told KXAN this issue could give her party’s candidates an opening in November, particularly in tough swing districts.
“Yes, the governor took out some of his pro-public school Republican candidates, and that left us with opportunities,” Hinojosa said during a July 30 interview. “Now, as Democrats, we need to pick up about three more seats to defeat the governor’s voucher scam yet again and to save our neighborhood public schools.”
Hoffacker said she also believes the possibility of this becoming law could drive out parents to vote during the upcoming general election.
"I'm hopeful that they're going to come out of the woodwork and help us fight for a better public education system and stop talking about the political games that lead to ESAS or some of the other things," she said. "The fact that we don't have funding is a political issue, not an educational one."
Public opinion, though, may be more on the governor's side. A July poll of 2,257 Texas voters from the University of Houston and Texas Southern University showed at least two-thirds of them said they support the state creating a voucher-like program even though they largely agreed with familiar criticisms of such a proposal, like the concern about funneling away money from struggling public schools.
Abbott’s press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, released a statement celebrating the survey’s findings.
“When it comes to education, parents matter, and families deserve the ability to choose the best education opportunities for their children,” Mahaleris said. “Governor Abbott will not rest until Texans have their voices heard and school choice is the law of the land.”
