Wednesday, July 3, 2024
The Gatesville Independent School District joined the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) in opposition to proposed state legislation which could allow money to be funneled from public education toward private school options.
GISD Superintendent Barrett Pollard said the proposed bill, Senate Bill 8, would have an expected statewide financial impact of $500 million to $1 billion per year over the next four years. It would provide "certain eligible students with an $8,000 voucher."
Numerous other costs would be associated with carrying out the program. In a summary distributed to school board members and the media, it was noted there would be "a need to add 20 more staff to the state comptroller's office to help administer the program, including six attorneys to manage the litigation process, develop program eligibility, oversee approval/denial of tuition, and support antifraud provisions."
Pollard said, "these types of voucher plans have been tried and failed in numerous other states," and said "TASB outlines several very important reasons why the voucher system is a bad idea not only for students but also families here in Texas. Public education is the great American experiment that our country was founded upon. Encourage others to contact your representatives to vote against vouchers."
Pollard said a big concern is that students could be approved for an $8,000 voucher and then later choose to enroll in public school.
"That could funnel a lot of money away from the public school system," he said. "If their $8,000 is spent elsewhere and the student returns, we don't get the money. Private Christian schools are also leery of it" because of the opportunity for the government to get involved with their curriculum since they would be helping to fund education at those schools.
"We are fearful of the financial outcome," Pollard said, adding that with additional budget concerns and constraints, adding the voucher system would create "a perfect storm" of challenges against public schools.
In GISD's resolution opposing school vouchers, the following was stated:
* Article 7, Section 1 of the Texas Constitution requires that the Texas Legislature "establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of free public schools"
* Texas public school districts accept every student
* Education savings accounts and other voucher schemes give private schools, not parents, the right to choose
* Texas public schools adhere to state-mandated academic and financial accountability standards
* Private schools are not required to meet the same academic standards as public schools, and they do not report test results, graduation rates, and other performance measures to the public
* School choice already exists in Texas via public school districts, charter schools, intra-district transfers, home schools, virtual schools, and private schools
* Education savings accounts and similar voucher schemes eliminate public accountability of schools and tax dollars
* Using tax dollars to pay for tuition at private and religious schools would grow into a costly entitlement program
* A taxpayer-funded voucher program would reduce the amount of state funds available to schools, harming many rural Texas communities where families have few, if any, private school options
* Texas parents who accept a voucher would lose out on a long list of important parental rights outlined in Texas state education code and in federal law, especially protections for students receiving special education services.
