Gov. Greg Abbott isn’t always the best messenger for his own priorities .
This week, he reiterated his support for a school choice program that would allow parents to use state funds to pay for a portion of their child’s private school tuition, also known as school vouchers.
Abbott has long tried to calm nerves in rural Texas, where school districts are already struggling to cover costs and losing certified teachers to states with higher pay.
They are concerned that Abbott’s proposed program will ultimately reduce the amount of funding they receive from the state.
Abbott has repeatedly assured those communities that the “educational savings accounts” will not harm public education.
However, as reporters Edward McKinley and Benjamin Wermund pointed out, Abbott acknowledged on social media this week that public schools could be defunded under his program if parents choose to send their children to private schools.
“The people ‘defunding’ public schools are PARENTS choosing a better option than what their assigned school provides,” Abbott wrote Wednesday in a post on X, in response to claims that his voucher plan will defund public schools by providing parents with state funds to send their children elsewhere.
“When they leave, the funding for that child leaves too,” Abbott had written. “Democrats want to FORCE families to stay in government mandated schools against their will.”
Critics of Abbott’s plan reacted angrily, claiming that Abbott had finally admitted that public schools would lose funding under his program if parents used ESAs to leave them.
The next day, however, Abbott reversed his position, insisting that public schools would not lose funding.
“School choice doesn’t take a penny from public schools,” Abbott pointed out. “It’s funded separately like roads and water.”
Rural school districts have been the most significant roadblock to Abbott’s proposal. During the 2023 regular session and two special sessions, key Republicans from those areas contributed to the defeat of voucher proposals.
Republicans have warned that ESA will eventually reduce overall state funding to public schools, at a time when many are struggling to pay teachers. Last year, Hearst Newspapers reported that public schools are increasingly forced to hire non-certified teachers.
Now, some school districts are hiring uncertified teachers. Uncertified teachers, many of whom work in rural school districts, made up nearly 40% of new hires in the 2023-2024 school year.
