Texas Lawmakers Want to Expand School Selection This Session

Austin, Texas – Will Texas legislators pass school vouchers in this session under the auspices of Parental Choice? Governor Abbott supports vouchers that use state taxes for private education.

The assistant professor says not so fast. University of Texas at Austin associate professor David DeMatthews wrote a guest editorial in The Statesman on Sunday.

“The choice that the vouchers offer is a farce. No rational Texan would want to choose an education policy that doesn’t work, that also defunds public education, encourages discrimination against children with disabilities, and uses tax dollars to subsidize tuition for wealthy families who are already sending their children to private schools. The vouchers are a scam because that is what will happen if they are passed in this legislative session,” DeMatthews said.

Randan Steinhauser, director of national school selection for Young Americans for Freedom, and Democratic analyst Ed Espinoza joined FOX 7 Austin’s Mike Warren for a discussion.

MIKE WARREN: Randan, starting with you in this editorial, pretty harsh words for school choice advocates. How do you respond to this kind of criticism?

RENDAN STEINHAUSER: Yeah. You know, it’s just creating this false bogeyman that the idea of ​​giving parents choice when it comes to how their children get an education is somehow bad. Parents know their children best. We have seen many states adopt school choice policies that allow their children to receive an education in a variety of settings. It is no longer the universal education system that families want. They need a diverse set of options, whether it be private schools, homeschooling, virtual schools, or a host of other things. So, we know that right now, more than ever, parents are desperate for a choice, and this is a really exciting time in Texas, and we hope we get this done.

MIKE WARREN: Ed Espinoza, editorial, right? Are school vouchers a farce?

ED ESPINOSA: What this editorial does is express what most Texans currently believe and have believed for many years. Now let’s talk about this idea of ​​parental choice, which used to be called school choice, which has always been a front for vouchers. Vouchers are not popular in Texas. But Texas public schools are something that parents have been vilifying for a while. And when you talk about how it relates to high school football, you begin to understand why people are so attached to their high schools. Should parents have a choice? Yes, they should. And they already do. The question is, should taxpayers fund private school funding or any other school funding? This is not a public school. And that’s where the poll numbers come from.

MIKE WARREN: Randan, do vouchers help public education publishing or harm it?

RENDAN STEINHAUSER: bottom line. You know that this question in itself, you are talking about the system. You are talking about traditional public schools. We must acknowledge this. We need to talk about what’s best for students. We do not need to force any student to attend a school that is not suitable for him. Even the best public school is not suitable for every child. And making a decision about a child’s future based on the football program or based on just this neighborhood school on the street does a disservice to that child. And we believe that every family in Texas should be able to use their taxes to send their child to an educational environment that suits them.

MIKE WARREN: Ed Espinoza, why do you think the Republican Party is pushing for school vouchers?

ED ESPINOSA: Well, listen, I think the Republican Party is against public education. This is not something that is a surprise. We have seen this for years. And again, parents already have the choice to send their children to any school they want. The question is, will our heavily underfunded public schools suffer if additional funding is withdrawn and diverted to other non-public schools? And the answer is, of course, yes. Schools in Texas are underfunded. They have been for a long time. And parents and homeowners are already paying big bucks. But their property taxes go to schools, and the government continues to underfund public schools. I don’t think it will go very far. This is a bad idea and the voters don’t support it.

MIKE WARREN: Good. Well, it will be a constant problem. We don’t have time now. So I have to wrap it up. Randan and Ed, thank you both so much.