School Choice’s Texas-Size Victory

[Vambram]

Texas’ GOP Primary Signals Growing Momentum for School Choice

GOP primary results in Texas show that the school choice movement is gaining momentum, becoming a litmus-test issue for Republicans.

www.dailysignal.com

Republican primary voters in Texas sent a clear message on Super Tuesday: “We want school choice!”
The Texas House of Representatives last year failed to pass a school choice bill even after Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, repeatedly called the lawmakers back into special session. Twenty-one Texas House Republicans joined with all House Democrats to defeat the school choice proposal.

In response, Abbott took a page out of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ book. If the Legislature wouldn’t support school choice—which had the support of 88% of Texas Republican voters—then he would find a new Legislature.

When the Iowa Legislature voted down Reynolds’ education savings account proposal in 2022, she endorsed nine pro-school choice candidates who were challenging anti-school choice incumbents. Eight of them won.


The following year, the Iowa Legislature quickly passed the Republican governor’s school choice proposal, becoming the first state that year (and the third overall) to enact a universal school choice policy.

In Texas, Abbott endorsed 16 challengers to incumbents who had opposed his school choice proposal. Five others—likely seeing the writing on the wall—did not seek reelection. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Wednesday: “Abbott-backed challengers appear to have beaten six incumbents, with four more headed for runoffs. Six incumbents appear to have survived.”

 

[Fantine]

You fail to mention the disaster this is for small Texas towns, some of whom have complained bitterly.

No one is opening charter schools or private schools in rural areas.

In the meantime, the cost of giving tuition reimbursement to children in more populated areas (95% of whom were already attending private school and were able to pay the tuition without subsidies--according to national stats) means that public schools face cuts in funding.

So what are the children in rural areas to do? Public schools already underfunded. Public school teachers underpaid--and hard to replace.

In Red States, the Bill for School Voucher Bait-and-Switch Is Coming Due

For GOP lawmakers who view public education as a quasi-socialist project, the gaping hole in state budgets left by subsidizing private school tuition is a feature, not a bug.

www.thenation.com

State budgets are collapsing under the burden--and the rest of us will be caught with tax increases, or reductions in programs we need.

 

[Vambram]

You fail to mention the disaster this is for small Texas towns, some of whom have complained bitterly.

No one is opening charter schools or private schools in rural areas.

In the meantime, the cost of giving tuition reimbursement to children in more populated areas (95% of whom were already attending private school and were able to pay the tuition without subsidies--according to national stats) means that public schools face cuts in funding.

So what are the children in rural areas to do? Public schools already underfunded. Public school teachers underpaid--and hard to replace.

Yet, the people in Texas are still overwhelmingly appear to be in favor of school choice and school voucher systems. If your evidence is accurate, then why the apparent disconnect with what the voters want?

 

[Fantine]

Yet, the people in Texas are still overwhelmingly appear to be in favor of school choice and school voucher systems. If your evidence is accurate, then why the apparent disconnect with what the voters want?

The people in metro areas overwhelmed the struggling small towns with no options.

The children there need protection against further cuts.

 

[iluvatar5150]

No one is opening charter schools or private schools in rural areas.

Yet, the people in Texas are still overwhelmingly appear to be in favor of school choice and school voucher systems. If your evidence is accurate, then why the apparent disconnect with what the voters want?

People eat up the propaganda they want to believe. School choice is a fantasy. Competition only works when firms enter markets where they see profit potential. That doesn't work in education for a few reasons - 1.) the better schools are typically run as charities, not profitable enterprises and 2.) profit motives introduce their own problems into the education wherein services are cut because they're expensive. Profit seeking gets you lousy service and/or limited service, not high quality universal service like public schools are supposed to deliver.

 

[Vambram]

In far too many cities and school districts, it is a fact that students in public schools don't get as good as an education as they ought to be doing. Parents should have the right, and the ability, to place their children in higher quality schools if they desire to do so.

 

[Vambram]

The people in metro areas overwhelmed the struggling small towns with no options.

The children there need protection against further cuts.

Please provide evidence that school budgets are being cut as bad as you are implying that they are.

 

[iluvatar5150]

In far too many cities and school districts, it is a fact that students in public schools don't get as good as an education as they ought to be doing. Parents should have the right, and the ability, to place their children in higher quality schools if they desire to do so.

That may very well be true, but vouchers don’t do much to incentivize the creation of new schools, and the profit motives they induce can recreate those same problems, or new ones.

If you look into the profit-driven consumer goods and services space, where does “high quality” exist? It exists in smaller shops that cater to the wealthy. You’re not getting high quality at walmart. You’re not getting specialized attentive service from Comcast or Spirit airlines. How do vouchers incentivize new schools to open up in the first place, and to do so with a Bloomingdales model instead of a Walmart model?

 

[BCP1928]

In far too many cities and school districts, it is a fact that students in public schools don't get as good as an education as they ought to be doing.

Which the voters of Texas could fix if they wanted.

Parents should have the right, and the ability, to place their children in higher quality schools if they desire to do so.

Right. What the voters of Texas want is not decent public schools for all, but a two-tier education system.

 

[rambot]

Yet, the people in Texas are still overwhelmingly appear to be in favor of school choice and school voucher systems. If your evidence is accurate, then why the apparent disconnect with what the voters want?

This is the problem with a 2 party system.
One party wants legal dog kicking and school lunches for poor kids
The other party wants legalized theft and quality public schools.

These examples are not literal of course but they are meant to illustrate that you can support a candidate on one issue and then be forced to have to endure something you don't really like.

I am curious whether all rural voters who have need of an education are aware of the problems their vote would cause; ditto for the urban voters (or if they even care about rural children's education).

I mean really given that results with or without school vouchers produce VERY similar educational outcomes it's pretty clear that the system is really just set up to take money away from teachers (break unions) and give it to administrations and school leadership.

 

[rambot]

In far too many cities and school districts, it is a fact that students in public schools don't get as good as an education as they ought to be doing. Parents should have the right, and the ability, to place their children in higher quality schools if they desire to do so.

That's what happens when public schools are underfunded.

That should not be a surprise. The problem is not inherent with public schools. Most developed countries have strong public schools.

And what's funny is that private schools are of no inherent higher quality. As mentioned, educational outcomes are very very similar.

 

[comana]

Yet, the people in Texas are still overwhelmingly appear to be in favor of school choice and school voucher systems. If your evidence is accurate, then why the apparent disconnect with what the voters want?

I keep hearing how the needs of rural voters are different from those of urban/suburban voters. It looks like the urban/ suburban Texas voters are the ones benefiting with vouchers to the detriment of rural voters but rural voter just don’t have the numbers to matter.

 

[rambot]

Please provide evidence that school budgets are being cut as bad as you are implying that they are.

In my district there have not been cuts..per se but please consider this;
1. Foe the last 5 years our district has grown by over 4% per year.
2. Our district has received ONE increase in funds this year for 4.4% and nothing for the previous years.

This amounts to a significant drop in per student funding.

Additionally, post COVID...
3. There were SIGNIFICANT learning gaps noticed by educators; With many students experiencing between 1/2 to a years stagnation of growth in reading and numeracy skills. Significant funding has had to be redirected to improve students basic performance.
So there is an incongruence in expectations for teachers where funding per student remains the same but needs and supports are greater.

Lastly
4. Most teachers report a stagnation in prosocial skills post covid and an increase in students with significant behaviour peoblems. Further money is needed for appropriate behavioral supports for more students which also decreases funding on a per atudwnt basis.


So no. It isn't just about "cuts to education" so much as it's about "keeping up with needs"

 

[eleos1954]

Texas’ GOP Primary Signals Growing Momentum for School Choice

GOP primary results in Texas show that the school choice movement is gaining momentum, becoming a litmus-test issue for Republicans.

www.dailysignal.com

Republican primary voters in Texas sent a clear message on Super Tuesday: “We want school choice!”
The Texas House of Representatives last year failed to pass a school choice bill even after Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, repeatedly called the lawmakers back into special session. Twenty-one Texas House Republicans joined with all House Democrats to defeat the school choice proposal.

In response, Abbott took a page out of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ book. If the Legislature wouldn’t support school choice—which had the support of 88% of Texas Republican voters—then he would find a new Legislature.

When the Iowa Legislature voted down Reynolds’ education savings account proposal in 2022, she endorsed nine pro-school choice candidates who were challenging anti-school choice incumbents. Eight of them won.


The following year, the Iowa Legislature quickly passed the Republican governor’s school choice proposal, becoming the first state that year (and the third overall) to enact a universal school choice policy.

In Texas, Abbott endorsed 16 challengers to incumbents who had opposed his school choice proposal. Five others—likely seeing the writing on the wall—did not seek reelection. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Wednesday: “Abbott-backed challengers appear to have beaten six incumbents, with four more headed for runoffs. Six incumbents appear to have survived.”

I think school choice is a good thing ... there needs to be alternatives to the public school system.

 

[comana]

I think school choice is a good thing ... there needs to be alternatives to the public school system.

There are plenty of alternatives. Public schools are provided for every child with no upfront cost. Parents have other choices but will likely need to pay. Vouchers take from from what is offered to every child so that the few can benefit.

 

[BCP1928]

There are plenty of alternatives. Public schools are provided for every child with no upfront cost. Parents have other choices but will likely need to pay. Vouchers take from from what is offered to every child so that the few can benefit.

The present system is a two-tier system based on wealth. What is wanted is a two-tier system based on culture.

 

[ralliann]

Texas’ GOP Primary Signals Growing Momentum for School Choice

GOP primary results in Texas show that the school choice movement is gaining momentum, becoming a litmus-test issue for Republicans.

www.dailysignal.com

Republican primary voters in Texas sent a clear message on Super Tuesday: “We want school choice!”
The Texas House of Representatives last year failed to pass a school choice bill even after Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, repeatedly called the lawmakers back into special session. Twenty-one Texas House Republicans joined with all House Democrats to defeat the school choice proposal.

In response, Abbott took a page out of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ book. If the Legislature wouldn’t support school choice—which had the support of 88% of Texas Republican voters—then he would find a new Legislature.

When the Iowa Legislature voted down Reynolds’ education savings account proposal in 2022, she endorsed nine pro-school choice candidates who were challenging anti-school choice incumbents. Eight of them won.


The following year, the Iowa Legislature quickly passed the Republican governor’s school choice proposal, becoming the first state that year (and the third overall) to enact a universal school choice policy.

In Texas, Abbott endorsed 16 challengers to incumbents who had opposed his school choice proposal. Five others—likely seeing the writing on the wall—did not seek reelection. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Wednesday: “Abbott-backed challengers appear to have beaten six incumbents, with four more headed for runoffs. Six incumbents appear to have survived.”

I hope they get rid of these anti choice politicians. We need our kids educated, leave the social engineering out....

 

[BCP1928]

QED

 

[ralliann]

Which the voters of Texas could fix if they wanted.

Right. What the voters of Texas want is not decent public schools for all, but a two-tier education system.

All you are saying is public school systems suck, so all should suck?

 

[BCP1928]

All you are saying is public school systems suck, so all should suck?

No, I'm saying that if you wanted to fix the public school system you could, but if you wanted a different cultural indoctrination for your kids then the two-tier system is what you want. Not better education, but a different education.