Why are some Texas Democrats so afraid to give parents freedom of choice in education? | Opinion
Ahead of Gov. Greg Abbott’s State of the State address Thursday evening, the leader of the Texas House Democratic caucus, Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, released a memo among colleagues that prepared Democrats for Abbott’s agenda. In one particularly interesting passage he wrote: “If passing private school vouchers is Governor Abbott’s dream, then House Democrats will be his nightmare. Period.”
And here I thought Democrats wanted to be bipartisan.
The fact that Martinez Fischer labels Republicans’ plan for education “private school vouchers” even though that’s not what Republicans and Abbott are trying to pass should demonstrate to the rest of Texas that Democrats aren’t serious about fixing education. But they are serious about stonewalling Republicans’ agenda, to the detriment of a Texas public school system that desperately needs help.
Why are Texas Democrats so afraid of the idea of freedom applied to state education?
Texas Monthly called school choice the “campaign to sabotage Texas’ public schools.” While it rightly identified the fact that Texas schools are in crisis, including the fact that teachers are leaving the profession in droves, the article failed to explain just how a school savings account works and instead repeated typical Democratic talking points that “freedom” or “choice” destroys schools.
Warning that choice will siphon money from public schools is a fear-based approach to education freedom and the facts don’t back it up. Abbott hailed Texas schools in his speech Thursday, saying that “many public schools in Texas are excellent” and noting a strong high school graduation rate.
Texas is ranked 19th nationally for K-12 education, according to one survey that measures multiple factors, not just achievement. Not terrible for the second most populated state (California was ranked 25th in the same survey), but it could improve. Abbott is right to make this issue one of his top priorities, and he should work overtime to make it succeed. If he accomplishes just this and fixes the enormous issue of property taxes, Abbott will go down in history as one of Texas’ most successful governors.
Right now, there is a school choice revolution happening around the country. Arizona has implemented education savings accounts, or ESAs, and it’s very close to what Texas Republicans want to implement here.
Texas Monthly is half-right about how it works: A set amount of money “follows” a child. If a child has special needs or is particularly bright, parents could choose to send him, through a digital bank account, to a private school. If a child loves math and science, perhaps parents choose to send him to a specialized school. Maybe for some families, home schooling works best because of their values or even schedules: They can use that same money to fund their home school.
You can see how this kind of freedom — the right to choose where your child goes to school based on his wiring, personality and family variables — might vastly improve the child’s education experience.
Texas Democrats fear the outcome for public schools, but those worries largely unfounded. Arizona’s experience shows that with ESAs, there is not a mass exodus of kids leaving public schools and going private. Many families are happy with what they’re doing or can’t transport their child to private school each day. A local public school works best. The same principle applies to rural schools, which both Democrats and even Republicans who represent rural areas purport to worry about the most.
Families who are happy living in rural Texas are not going to leave their public schools. For the families who choose to remain, competition forces public schools that might be flailing — regardless of location — to improve because every school wants the digital bank account that comes with each child.
If this sounds a lot like treating education like car or grocery shopping, that’s because it is. Free market competition allows for the fluctuation of quality and price on almost every good imaginable in America. Why wouldn’t we apply this principle to one of our nation’s most important institutions?
Abbott repeatedly heralded the idea of “education freedom” in his speech. It’s not only accurate and inspirational, but it also aligns with Texas’ values. Freedom is a double-edged sword. It brings benefits and choice, but also personal responsibility and consequences.
Texas Democrats fear Abbott’s quest for education freedom because they don’t think Texans would use it appropriately, or, if they did, the consequences to public schools would be dire. Neither are true.
