AUSTIN, Texas — The grassroots organization Texas Freedom Network held a rally in front of the Texas Capitol Wednesday morning, asking lawmakers to reject Education Savings Accounts, better known as ESAs or school vouchers.
The group hand-delivered petitions signed by over 2,700 Texans to Republicans who previously opposed vouchers but are now under a great deal of pressure to pass them during this current special session.
"We have a teacher shortage, we have an educator shortage, and he's doing nothing about it. [Gov. Greg] Abbott doesn't care,” said Ovidia Molina with the Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA). “If he did, he'd prioritize public school funding."
The rally came just two days after Gov. Greg Abbott asked proponents of vouchers to talk to lawmakers. Abbott claims that that with Senate Bill 1, he's "prioritizing parents."
"What the parents always say is, ‘The pathway for each student is the right one for them,’” Abbott said. “No one knows that better than a parent. We need to empower parents to make that decision.”
On Oct. 13, the Senate passed Senate Bill 1, which greenlights the creation of an Education Savings Account program in Texas. Eligible parents could get $8,000 to use for private school tuition and education costs. The money does not go directly into parent's pockets, but rather is distributed by the state comptroller's office.
Opponents of the bill argue that taxpayer money shouldn't be taken away from public schools, while supporters point out that ESAs and public schools have different funding sources.
"No money comes out of the Texas Permanent Schools Fund,” said Mandy Drogin with the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “That's for the education, but nothing comes out of that, so we are not taking any money away."
Even so, opponents argue that that money could go to the Texas public school system, which they say is already severely underfunded.
"There's no point in carving out an expensive and highly selective program with no guardrails for student success,” said Chloe Latham Sikes, deputy director of Policy for the Intercultural Development Research Association. “We know where our students are, and we know who needs the most support, and they are in our public schools."
The Texas Private Schools Association reports that the median tuition for private schools in Texas, based on data from the 2021-22 school year, is approximately $9,831, so SB 1 would still likely fail to cover the full cost. That’s where some people say financial aid for those schools is going to come into play.
Texas lawmakers will be back at the Capitol on Thursday to continue the work of the special session.