School choice debate begins in Texas House
School choice debate begins in Texas House
The highly anticipated debate over school vouchers has begun in the Texas House.
DALLAS - The highly anticipated debate over school vouchers has begun in the Texas House.
The Texas Senate has already passed its version of Gov. Greg Abbott’s priority bill.
The House version, which ties vouchers to public school funding, was brought before the public education committee on Tuesday.
HB3 vs SB2
What we know:
The House and Senate bills have some differences when it comes to who is prioritized for the public money that can be used for private education.
Senate Bill 2 works on an 80-20 plan, with 80% of the allocated funding going to disabled or low-income students and 20% to any other student. Each student who qualifies would get a flat $10,000.
Texas Senate passes SB2, would allow parents to use tax funds for private schools
The Texas Senate on Wednesday passed a plan that would allow parents to use taxpayer dollars to fund private education.
House Bill 3 gives priority to students with disabilities and then creates different income tiers for students in low-income families.
It also sets the funding amount at "85 percent of the estimated statewide average amount of state and local funding per student in average daily attendance for the applicable school year."
Texas House unveils its own 'school choice' legislation with House Bill 2, 3
Like the Texas Senate, the House calls for a cash incentive paid from taxes for families who want to switch their kids from public to private school. But unlike the Senate, the House tied the amount of that incentive to public school funding.
Both bills require a $1 billion investment from the state to establish the accounts.
Under both bills, families chosen for the program are allowed to use the funds on private school tuition, textbooks, transportation and other education expenses.
Texas school voucher debate
What they're saying:
Gov. Abbott believes he now has enough support from Republican lawmakers to make school vouchers happen.
"I want to have the best system of public schools that we can have. But with the understanding when it’s not working, parents need an option. They shouldn’t have to say, ‘Well, maybe it will be better in five years when my kid is gone,’" said Rep. Brad Buckley, a Republican from Temple, Texas.
The executive director of the Texas Private School Association said her organization also supports vouchers.
"There are currently 75,575 open seats in private accredited schools across the state with the median tuition of $9,400. And 90% of those schools are interested in participating in those programs," Laura Colangelo said.
The other side:
Democratic lawmakers have criticized Abbott and Republicans for failing to increase funding for public schools last session during the voucher fight.
They argue they are not against private schools. They just want public schools to be the priority.
"I think the voucher thing makes us admit we don’t know how to fix public schools. That is what it is: an admission that we can’t fix public schools," said Rep. Harold Dutton, a Democrat from Houston.
What's next:
The pressure is on in the House because that chamber sank the effort last session and in multiple special sessions.
If HB3 passes the full House, the chambers must work to resolve the differences between the two bills.
Republicans have also promised to increase public school funding once vouchers are passed.
The Source: The information in this story comes from Tuesday's Texas House public education committee meeting and past news coverage.