What you need to know about Education Savings Accounts, a voucher-like program championed by Gov. Greg Abbott.

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Gov. Greg Abbott has made voucher programs one of his top priorities this year and backed a specific measure: education savings accounts.

During his State of the Union address last week, the governor named “school choice” as one of seven pressing issues in this legislative session, saying he wants to root out “revival programs” in the classroom and allow parents to use tax dollars to educate their children. children outside the state’s public education system.

Abbott said the way to do that is through these savings accounts, which will allow parents to opt out of local school districts and receive money the state provides to educate their children directly.

“This will give all parents the opportunity to choose the best education option for their child,” he said during a parenting event in Corpus Christi last month, where he announced his support for such a program. “The bottom line is this: it’s really about freedom.”

Public education advocates and rural legislators have long opposed “school choice” programs such as vouchers, saying they will siphon public funds from public schools. But proponents of the education savings accounts that have swept across the country over the past decade see them as the best way to capitalize on some conservative parents’ dissatisfaction with public schools over the past few years and expand “school choice” in the state.

Here’s what you need to know about education savings accounts.

Education Savings Accounts are essentially taxpayer-backed bank accounts for parents who withdraw their children from the public education system. These parents receive public money up front to pay for their educational expenses, such as private schooling, online tuition, or private tutoring. In most cases, the government manages these accounts.

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Under Senate Bill 176, sponsored by State Senator Mace Middleton, R-Galveston, participating families will receive the average amount of money that Texas public schools spend on each of their children’s education, which is currently about $10,000 a year. Under the bill, the money would flow from year to year and could be used to help families pay for higher education. Funds for the program can come from both taxpayer money and donations.

The current proposal does not include any accountability mechanisms for private schools or taxpayer-funded providers, which is the norm among out-of-state education savings account programs.

To be eligible for the program, a child must have been enrolled in a public school for the entire previous school year or attended kindergarten. A child who was not enrolled in a public school in the previous year is eligible, subject to available funding.

Supporters of the initiative, such as Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, say the state should allow parents to choose what type of education is best for their children. Opponents say it will take money away from an already underfunded public education system, as each child who leaves a public school receives less funding.

Over the past couple of years, education savings accounts have gained popularity among those who want to expand “school choice” programs across the country.

The term “choice of school” encompasses many educational options and is commonly used when referring to alternatives to public education such as charter schools.

The modern “school choice” movement traces its roots back to the 1954 US Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education that ordered the desegregation of public schools. Some white parents did not want their children to attend non-segregated schools, and in response, some states, such as Virginia, developed voucher programs that give families taxpayer dollars to send their children to private schools.

Educational savings accounts are a fairly new program that started about a decade ago, but they serve the same purpose as vouchers, said Joshua Cowen, a professor of education policy at Michigan State University.

“The plan that Abbott is offering is really just like a typical voucher program, which is essentially taxpayer-funded education,” Cowen said. “Difference between [education savings account] and the voucher program is essentially all these other expenses that can be tied to it or used in place of it.”

About 30 states have programs that direct public funds to private schools. Last year, taxpayers allocated about $5 billion to send children to private schools, according to Scott Jensen, senior strategist for the American Children’s Federation, an organization focused on expanding voucher programs across the country.

Ten states have introduced education savings programs, and about 20 others, including Texas, are in the legislative process to approve a similar program.

Although the scope of most existing programs is limited, last year Arizona expanded its education savings accounts and they are now open to almost every child. The only requirement is that the child must be at least 5 years old and that the parents must show proof that they live in the state.

School voucher advocates in Arizona created education savings accounts in 2011. The decision comes after the state Supreme Court ruled that traditional vouchers are unconstitutional because they can be used to pay for religious schools, which is essentially the same as transferring public funds to religious institutions.

But education savings accounts got around this by providing public funds directly to parents and allowing them to use the money for a variety of educational expenses, not just religious schooling.

The State Senate passed an education savings account bill similar to Middleton’s in 2017, but it didn’t get the support Abbott gave the issue this year. The measure did not pass in the House Committee on Public Education.

But other options for “choosing a school” in the state have long existed.

Texas has operated free charter schools since 1996, and the state has some of the most lenient homeschooling laws in the nation. Parents can also send their child to a special school, a public school with a specialized curriculum that attracts students from different neighborhoods.

In addition, many school districts have a process in place to transfer students from schools in their area to another district.

For some legislators, this session provides a unique opportunity to push voucher legislation through the finish line.

They opened education savings accounts specifically for parents who opposed COVID-19 restrictions and wanted other education options after the pandemic dropped test scores to historic lows.

They also feel they have enough support from parents who are unhappy with the way race and history are taught in the classroom.

Some conservatives argue that “critical race theory”—a college-level discourse that explores the impact of systemic racism and is not taught in Texas public schools—is rampant in the state’s school districts and causes white children to feel badly about their race.

Parents and legislators have also pushed for a ban on “explicit” books in public schools, leading to Texas banning more books than any other state and targeting books on race, racism, abortion, representation, and LGBTQ issues.

The Senate, led by Patrick, easily passed the Education Savings Account bill in 2017, but the measure never made it through the House. The House Committee on Public Education included members who were strongly opposed to any “choice of school” legislation, who clashed with Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, a proponent of “choice of schools” and then chairman of the committee.

It is not clear at this session whether another political fight could be brewing between the two chambers.

At first glance, it appears that the leaders of both state education committees disagree. Senate Committee Chair on Education, State Senator Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, is a supporter of the School Choice Act, while the new House Committee on Public Education Chair, State Rep. Brad Buckley, Rep. Killeen, voted for an anti-voucher amendment to the House budget in the last session. There are several other members on the House committee who voted for the same anti-voucher amendment.

But the Texas Public Policy Foundation – one of the largest “school choice” advocacy groups – praised Buckley’s nomination shortly after it was announced. And in an interview with KXAN on Thursday, Speaker of the House Dade Phelan said his appointments to the education committee didn’t mean the debate about sending tax dollars to private schools was dead.

“The appointment of this committee did not reflect that. There are members who are interested in these discussions,” he said. “Everything will depend on whether he has votes in the Texas House of Representatives, and [in] past [it] No”.

Buckley did not speak of “choice of school” in his nomination statement, only saying that he “looks forward to working with committee members and my colleagues in the Texas Chamber to develop policies to provide the best opportunities for Texas teachers, students, and their families.” .”

Legislators who support voucher programs will also have to convince rural legislators to take their side. Rural communities and legislators generally oppose “choice of school” law because there are not many private schools in their area. They traditionally protect their schools, which serve as important community centers and are usually among the largest employers in their regions.

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