Why Taking a Stand Against Texas Private School Vouchers is so Important
Vouchers in the Lone Star State are starting to feel a bit inevitable, but that doesn't mean we should go quietly
What You’re Up Against
“School Choice” (eye roll) is how proponents of taxpayer-funded Texas private school vouchers (Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 3)—a marriage of convenience between those in love with profiting even more from private schools and Bible-thumping taintlords with a hard-on for killing public education—like to frame their latest blitzkrieg. And a lot of this money and noise is coming from outside of Texas, including via Billionaires Jeff Yass (Pennsylvania), Elon Musk (Ketamine), and Donald Trump (Florida).
If it seems like Governor Greg Abbott is super stoked to get vouchers going in Texas, you’re not imagining it. Yass invested $6 Million in Abbott in December 2024 alone.
Even a cursory examination of what these well-monied bullies are selling exposes this “School Choice” name as utter PR bullshit.
Even a cursory examination of what these well-monied bullies are selling exposes this “School Choice” name as utter PR bullshit. You see, parents in Texas already have the choice available to send their offspring to private schools. (There are a wide range of tuition costs and quality across Austin private schools, but many of the best are well over $20,000/year, such as St. Michael’s, St. Stephen’s, and St. Andrew’s.) But they want this “choice” to now include the public helping to foot their bill. Hey, small detail, right?
Well then, what about “Street Choice” to pay for private roads and driveways? “Pool Choice” to fund private swimming venues for those unsatisfied with Deep Eddy or Barton Springs? “Golf Choice” to funnel tax dollars to country clubs for people who aren’t feeling public courses? “Trash and Recycling Choice” if your current day and/or frequency of pickup is inconvenient? “Uber Choice” for those sick of waiting at bus stops? The fun possibilities are endless!
Texas Has Been Undermining Public Education For Years
Another thing that exposes the Texas voucher push as scam is the fact that it’s being waged against the backdrop of a public school system cracking under the strains of ongoing under-funding, low teacher pay, and Recapture—a genius idea where, for example, Austin ISD tax dollars fund education in other districts but also pays for stupid bullshit like fancy new football stadiums in those far flung districts when our own Austin school buses and classrooms lack A/C and our sports teams play in ancient gyms and stadiums.
Even more dishonest, Texas leaders are weaponizing a terrible public school situation that it created as the very reason why vouchers are needed. It’s a spurious and deeply cynical form of gaslighting to blame a problem on the victims and then justify making the situation even more painful for the victims by saying they failed.
Texas’ Voucher Bills Are Ticking Fiscal Time Bombs That Are Deeply Unfair
Leaving aside for a moment that similar recent voucher laws in other states such as Arizona have been monumental faceplants, let’s examine what these Texas Bills contain. (I’ll focus on SB 2 for purposes of illustration.)
The bottom line is that Texas families get $10,000 in taxpayer money per child to use at the private school of their choice. Seems pretty clean, right? Uh, no.
What Abbott in his recent social media and barnstorming barrage conveniently leaves out is the fact that nothing in these bills requires private schools to: (1) accept a particular kid—they can say “F-off” to any student for any reason; (2) have to a make even one disability accommodation; (3) not immediately raise their tuition by the same $10,000 or more; (4) conduct even cursory background checks on teachers and other employees who will be around children all day; (5) be affordable for financially struggling families even with a $10,000 voucher.
Texas can’t have vastly relaxed standards and oversight for private schools compared to public schools if those private schools want public funding. This is about as common sense as it gets, yet is opposed by a lot of folks who throw around “common sense” as their political calling card, exposing their base hypocrisy.
The list goes on and on, and underscores the sacred cow treatment being proposed for private schools. But Texas simply can’t have vastly relaxed standards and oversight for private schools compared to public schools if those private schools want public funding. This is about as common sense as it gets, yet is opposed by a lot of folks who throw around “common sense” as their political calling card, exposing their base hypocrisy.
If the idea is to make Texas public schools better by introducing competition, then allowing the new competitor an easier, uneven playing field is fundamentally unfair. This looks even worse against the backdrop of potentially further decreased funding for public schools, which have basically been frozen at 2019 levels already.
Even Abbott finally admitted as much recently. Hell, despite what some are saying, this could even mess up Texas public school teacher pensions.
If the idea is to make Texas public schools better by introducing competition, then allowing the new competitor an easier, uneven playing field is fundamentally unfair.
So, you can certainly see why this is being called a “Voucher Scam” by so many Texans.
Meet Some Texas Leaders on The Front Lines
The Texas Lege’s most vocal opponent of vouchers is Rep. James Talarico, a thoughtful, relatable voice from Williamson County who has made it his mission to fight this Goliath through his homespun use of social media, including an ongoing TwitterX war with Abbott that he never asked for.
I had the chance to discuss vouchers with Talarico last week, who gave me his 11th hour elevator pitch to anyone still on the fence: “Private school vouchers take our tax dollars out of our underfunded public schools and give them to unaccountable private schools that can discriminate against our kids,” said Talarico.
“If the other states that have tried vouchers—like Arizona—are any indication, vouchers will bankrupt our public education system. Working families will be denied admission and the vast majority of the voucher money will go to wealthy parents who already have their kids in private school.”
-Texas State Representative James Talarico
This seems like exactly the kind of big spending scheme that should infuriate fiscally conservative Texas Republicans, but it’s not the 1990s anymore. Principles have given way to cashing out and owning the Libs.
This marriage of convenience between weird tainthuffers who want to kill anything secular and greedy opportunists looking to cash in on private school vouchers is proving to be formidable, and Talarico sees grim things on the horizon for Texas. “If the other states that have tried vouchers—like Arizona—are any indication, vouchers will bankrupt our public education system. Working families will be denied admission and the vast majority of the voucher money will go to wealthy parents who already have their kids in private school.” No bueno, y’all.
Talarico is hardly alone. Dallas area Senator Nathan Johnson has long been fighting vouchers. “There are some people walking around with t-shirts that say, “My Child, My Money, My Choice.” First of all, it’s not your money, okay. Your money that you pay in property taxes to school districts is the money we all pay whether or not we have a kid in the public schools, and 75% of Texans do not have a kid presently in the public schools,” Johnson told me last year.
“There are some people walking around with t-shirts that say, “My Child, My Money, My Choice.” First of all, it’s not your money, okay. Your money that you pay in property taxes to school districts is the money we all pay whether or not we have a kid in the public schools.”
-Texas State Senator Nathan Johnson
Austin also has passionate anti-voucher advocates like State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, who shares her colleagues’ concerns and told me that “Our neighborhood schools are in crisis because necessary classroom funding from the state has been withheld for so long. Teachers are routinely leaving the classroom for better paying jobs, and schools are closing. At a time when we need a $20 Billion investment just to reach 2019 spending power because of inflation, it is irresponsible to even consider HB 3’s $1 Billion voucher that will take more money out of our neighborhood schools.”
“Our neighborhood schools are in crisis because necessary classroom funding from the state has been withheld for so long. Teachers are routinely leaving the classroom for better paying jobs, and schools are closing.”
-Texas State Representative Gina Hinojosa
I’ll let seasoned education reporters and high I.Q. policy wonks fill all y’all in on the rest of it but suffice to say that I’m vehemently opposed to Texas School vouchers and implore you, the taxpayers and voting public, to make your voices heard before it’s too late.
There are hearings on HB 3 (and HB 2’s larger budget bill) this week where you can do just that. Fight the power.
I’m seriously considering leaving Texas, and I love Austin dearly. But if this bill plus the one that requires a two thirds vote for taxes passes, Texas will turn into a third world s-hole, and I don’t want to live in a s-hole. I want a decent society.
I have a son who benefits from special needs services that were not available until public kindergarten. The preschools opted just to kick him out. This is not the world’s most complicated case, but it has made a world of difference to my son. This bill is such a fucking scam. Our children should not be profit centers for billionaires.