Texas Lege Preview: Saving Public Education

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Isn’t it great that public education is getting the attention it deserves? Texas Republicans agree with Democrats that the state’s schools are the No. 1 priority in this year’s session. The problem is, when they say schools they mean school vouchers, a scheme many teachers and parents fear would sabotage our system of free public education.

Vouchers allow parents to take taxpayer money out of the public schools to spend on tuition for private, often religious, schools. Last session, Gov. Greg Abbott repeatedly tried to pass vouchers but was thwarted by a coalition of Democrats and rural Republicans in the Texas House. This year, he has run most of the opposing Republicans out of office and claims he has the votes to pass vouchers.

But Texas legislative sessions are unpredictable things and Democrats aren’t conceding the fight. Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, is vowing to “fight like hell.” Another local, Rep. Gina Hinojosa, told us her top priority is “to fight vouchers again.” And Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, said, “We’re going to continue to have a unified front from the Democrats and from several of the Republicans.”

Groups like the American Federation of Teachers, Raise Your Hand Texas, and the Texas Association of School Boards say that even if Republicans have the votes to approve vouchers they still have to hold committee hearings and allow debate. That will give opponents a chance to publicize the ways vouchers hurt education. It will also allow rural Texans, who mostly oppose vouchers, to try to convince some of their newly elected freshman representatives to resist the push by Abbott and his financial backers.

If the votes are there, Republicans will have to decide what kind of program to pass – a limited voucher program focused on economically disadvantaged students or a universal program for all the state’s kids. Abbott insisted on a universal program last session, something legislators say led to the proposal’s defeat.

There are many arguments against universal vouchers, but the central one is that they’re very expensive. Arizona is sunk in a $1.4 billion budget deficit blamed on its universal program. Public school advocates oppose limited voucher programs too, though, arguing that they inevitably get expanded and undermine education in the same ways as larger ones. For example, even a limited voucher program could destabilize teacher pensions by lowering the number of teachers paying into the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.

Last session, Abbott explicitly threatened to deny funding for public schools unless lawmakers voted for vouchers. When they didn’t, Republicans withheld $5 billion they had already set aside for the schools, sending districts across the state, including ours in Central Texas, into budget deficits. So the struggle for more funding will proceed side-by-side with vouchers this session.

Texas funds public schools on a butts-in-seats formula called the basic allotment which, since 2019, has been set at $6,160 per student. Advocates want to see the basic allotment raised to at least $7,500, and for lawmakers to mandate that it be automatically adjusted for inflation every two years, something that somehow has never been written into law.

“Everybody’s in agreement on that,” Howard said. “If you’re not adjusting for inflation, the buying power of those dollars is lessened each biennium. So having a way to increase the basic allotment, and putting it into statute that it must be adjusted for inflation every two years, is the only way to really ensure that we’re going to get the necessary dollars there.”

According to estimates from last session, a $1,000 increase in the basic allotment would cost the state $14 billion. Howard said legislators will have about $20 billion available to spend this biennium, though $8 billion is already committed to other purposes. However, according to the Houston Chronicle’s Jeremy Wallace, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told a group of school officials in December that schools are already well-funded and there is “no way” Republicans will raise the basic allotment by $1,000. “It’s not going to happen,” Patrick said.

So something’s gotta give. And meanwhile, legislators are filing hundreds of public-education-related bills. A huge, comprehensive one – House Bill 1257 by Rep. John Bryant, D-Dallas – brings together most of the things educators would like to see passed. HB 1257 would increase the basic allotment to $8,947 and index it to inflation; increase teacher salaries in all kinds of positive ways; and change how the basic allotment is applied so that districts get money based on enrollment numbers instead of daily attendance. It would also increase money for what educators call the state’s unfunded mandates – requirements that schools provide special education services, transportation, and school security.

And if you can’t wait to hear more, just be patient. The session’s only getting started.