Let’s look at an editorial from the Wall Street Journal to learn about developments in the Lone Star State.
For two years Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott has been fighting recalcitrant lawmakers to create the state’s first private school choice program. On Thursday he won… The legislation would create one of the nation’s largest choice programs, funded at $1 billion in the first year. That means some 100,000 students can receive scholarships, which are worth about $10,000, or 85% of public school per-pupil funding. Students can use the funds for private-school tuition, tutoring, textbooks, and other education expenses. Homeschoolers can receive up to $2,000. …Texas has more than five million students, which means that as a fiscal matter the program can’t serve everyone. But the Legislature can appropriate more money for the program in future years.
But there is some bad news.
It’s worth noting that Republicans had to spend more for public schools to grease ESA passage. Nearly all House lawmakers voted for a separate bill that increases public school funding by some $8 billion. That includes teacher pay raises and “hold harmless” provisions that ensure school districts will keep most of their funding from one year to another. This may be politically necessary, but one point of school choice is for money to follow students. Public schools that don’t serve students well, and lose them, should face the market consequences.
Since government schools got an additional $8 billion and school choice got only $1 billion, I think Texas lawmakers got it backwards.
That being said, the camel’s nose is now under the tent. Hopefully the WSJ is correct and school choice will expand in future years.
Dan Mitchell is co-founder of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity and Chairman of the Board. He is an expert in international tax competition and supply-side tax policy.
