We're in the middle of a grassroots uprising for school choice here in Texas. Unfortunately, the compromises made along the way to make the plan acceptable to legislative Democrats have reduced it to what is essentially a first baby step on a long and hopeful journey. But at least it's progress.
This plan is embodied in Texas House Bill 1263 which provides a plan for school choice for a limited number of students. It would allow them to essentially have the full value of the amount spent by state and local government on tuition (about $7000 on average) from their public school to spend at a private school of their choice. That's the good news. The amount of the vouchers is much higher than anyone would have hoped for. The bad news is that the reason that they could get such a high voucher value approved is the extreme restrictions placed on who can actually get a voucher.
The restrictions are pretty extensive and rule out all but a very limited number of students. The plan will only be available in urban areas with a population over 800,000 - so right off no help for the impoverished rural districts which are one of the biggest problem areas in the state. The public school the child is leaving has to be low performing, with 50% or more of the students failing state-wide standardized tests - so there's no escape if your school is just mediocre. The student has to actually have been enrolled in public school for a year to qualify - so you have to pay with a year of bad education to move on to a better education. Family income has to be within 200% of the cut-off for the subsidized federal school lunch program ($52,000 for a family of four) - this cuts out all but the most needy students. If you don't meet the income criteria you can still get into the program if you come from a non-English speaking household, have learning or emotional problems, or have have a history of violence or abuse within the family.
Article comments
1 - Dave Nalle
As you may or may not recall, I wrote on a related aspect of this topic earlier - addressing the groundswell among urban African Americans for school choice. That article helps put this one in context. See it here.
Dave