‘School choice’

A voice against vouchers when public schools are already underfunded

I am a former private school teacher, a sixth-generation Texan, a graduate of K-12 public education here in Texas, and the mother of three amazing public-school children. I am against Texas Senate Bill 2.

Though my husband makes a great living, well above the median income in Texas, we cannot afford private schools, which would cost us around $90,000. Were we to receive $10,000, we would only be one-third of the way to the cost of a private- school education, and considering that 62% of public-school students in Texas are economically disadvantaged, I am forced to wonder: Who is the intended target of this vendor bill?

I do not pretend to know the motivation of Jeff Yass, the billionaire Libertarian who has tried to get vouchers passed across the nation, including giving $12 million to our own governor. But I do know that Mr. Yass is not a Texan, and I also know that Texas is not for sale.

Libertarians believe that education should be privatized; if that is the goal, can we have a bill doing that, rather than pretending the private school vouchers are about school choice or serving students?

The bill proposes a $10,000 payment per child, which I find interesting, considering that it is a 62% increase from the basic allotment that is currently given to each Texas student.

If it costs $10,000 to educate a child, why have our schools been underfunded for years? We know the answer to that question, we know who has refused to allow an increase in school funding, and it is not the Legislature.

Is the plan to underfund education, then complain when it fails and demand privatization? We all know the system is not perfect, but that does not mean we need to slowly burn it to the ground in the guise of a voucher program.

According to Joshua Cowen, a professor of education policy, in other states, for every dollar that a billionaire invested in a campaign, they get $100 in public money. That is an incredible return on their investment. Perhaps that is the motivation, the desire to turn the second-largest public school system into a private one, where the ROI would be absolutely enormous.

Public education funding affects every Texan, paid through their housing costs; therefore, all Texans should have a say. Sen. Brandon Creighton alleges that “Texas voters have spoken loud and clear;” if that is truly the case, proponents should have no issue putting it to a vote by the people.

Lawmakers claim parents need a voice in our children’s education — give us one. Please give us a voice. Change the law and put this on a ballot.

My biggest concern as a former private-school teacher is the fact that private schools owe their families nothing. There is no true oversight in a private school, no legal obligation to do the things they promise, nor the curriculum they teach, nor the teachers they hire, nor the students they accept. Why should they get public money without public oversight?

Do vouchers help kids? The data say no. Research shows the negative effects of these programs.

If our legislators vote to pass this bill and the costs skyrocket, student outcomes plummet, and our public education crumbles, what will they have to say?

I speak for parents across Texas who are opposed to this and say that we will not forget who sold Texas, and public education, to Jeff Yass and Gov. Greg Abbott. Our lawmakers should say no to private school vouchers, or at the very least allow Texans to use their voice to advocate for their children by voting on the measure. Public education needs funding and reform, not annihilation.

I checked the records of all the Senate Education Committee members. I know he did not buy any of them; he thought it was enough to buy Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick.

I hope he was wrong. Texas is not for sale, and neither is the education of our children. Our lawmakers have the power to save public education, I do not. Billionaires are trying to silence the voices of Texans. Let us not let them.

— Leonora Boulton is president of the Ross Baldwin Elementary School PTA in Austin.