Austin American-Statesman: Opinion: Texas schools need money, not vouchers

Texas public schools need at least $40 billion this biennium to reach the national per-student funding average. Texas has this money sitting in our treasury. Yet, rather than investing that in our students, Governor Abbott is focused on a taxpayer-funded voucher plan that would divert money from public schools and send it to unaccountable private schools that select choice students.

The governor has vowed to reconvene the Texas Legislature for a third taxpayer-funded special session on vouchers, which begins today. Because the governor’s voucher plan is irresponsible and harmful to the vast majority of Texas schoolchildren, I oppose it and will not support any “deal” that breaks from our long-standing Texas tradition of preserving taxpayer dollars exclusively for public schools. 

Texas public schools are enshrined in our Texas Constitution. Art. 7, Sec. 1 states: “A general diffusion of knowledge being essential to the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people, it shall be the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools.” Perhaps this foundational origin explains why support for public schools is a defining value for Texans—transcending partisan divides for so many. Some of my best allies in this fight are conservative Republican mothers who have experienced firsthand the value of public schools.

Despite serving as one of the most progressive Democrats in the Texas House, I often work with conservative Republicans on education legislation because this is a topic where we still have more in common than not. This bipartisanship is the strength behind the preservation of our public schools and has blocked vouchers in the Texas House for generations. Even during this last legislative session, the Texas House voted to prohibit taxpayer dollars for private schools. Unfortunately, because of this strong stance in the House, the Lieutenant Governor withheld support in the Senate for a minimal increase to per-student funding, playing political games with money our students need. 

Supporters of public schools know vouchers take money from public schools and harm the vast majority of Texas schoolchildren. In Texas, money follows the student. For every child who leaves, public schools lose money and “economies of scale.” Class sizes get bigger. Extracurriculars, like band, football, and theater get cut.  Schools get consolidated.  

Texas public schools have no more to give. Texas is in the bottom three states for per-student funding. School districts operate Special Education programs at a deficit of $2.3 billion annually—the most underfunded education program in Texas. Texas teachers make $7,000 below the national average. Many school districts are now deficit spending to give teachers a pay raise. Texas public schools have adopted extreme measures, while lawmakers are sitting on a record surplus.  

Vouchers offer no true alternative to our public schools. Most children will not receive these vouchers because private schools choose which students to accept. Private schools can reject students because of their religion, test scores, disabilities, or simply because they aren’t “the right fit.” Students who qualify for Special Education also lose federal rights and protections with a voucher. For these reasons and because vouchers leave public schools with fewer resources, students in states that have adopted vouchers experience substantial learning loss, in some instances on par with COVID learning loss. 

While our schools need funding, cutting a deal for vouchers in exchange for token school funding would be short-sighted and jeopardize the viability of our public schools. That's not a deal I'm willing to make. Instead, I will continue to fight for a public school system worthy of the exceptional young minds the Texas Constitution entrusted legislators to educate almost 150 years ago.

Hinojosa, D-Austin, represents District 49 in the Texas House of Representatives.