Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick appeared before the Senate Education Committee Thursday to refute criticism that bills creating private school tax credits and vouchers in Texas would directly threaten the state’s public schools.
The Republican addressed senators after they had listened to several hours of arguments for and against three school choice bills now pending before the committee. Public school groups and advocates blasted the measures for potentially taking millions of dollars away from public schools.
“Giving a handful of students an opportunity for a better school in situations where they don’t have a choice is not going to impact public education,” Patrick said.
“A program that takes 10,000 kids out of 5.2 million in our schools – that just gives 10,000 children a chance. We are not trying to upend the public school system, which will always have about 90-92 percent of our students.”
Noting that the primary goal is to provide choice for lower-income children trapped in failing urban schools, he asserted, “We want to give poor families a choice, a chance to go to a good school. Why should they not have the same choice as a rich person in Texas.”
The leading bill, authored by Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, chairman of the education committee, would create a $ 100 million private school tuition program that would let lower-income students attend private or religious schools. Taylor emphasized Thursday that the measure is still a work in progress.
Funding would come through donations by businesses, who would in turn receive credits on their state business taxes. The money would be donated to educational assistance organizations, which would award scholarships covering tuition at private schools.
Supporters of the school choice proposal are reportedly considering restricting it to students in Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio in the initial phase of the program. Such a restriction might win some support from rural Republicans, who have been strongly opposed to a statewide voucher program in the past.
