Gov. Abbott continues push for public education savings accounts for private school costs
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Parents in the gymnasium of Central Texas Christian School on Monday cheered when Gov. Greg Abbott told them he planned on passing education savings accounts, a move that could benefit those parents by making public money available for education at private schools.
They stood and waved signs that stated, “My money, my choice,” while Abbott touted parental empowerment as a way to change students’ lives.
His speech in Temple was the latest development in a push among some Republican leaders to pass a hotly debated proposal to use public education funding for breaks on private school tuition, an issue that has largely dominated the post-pandemic politics of education.
Abbott spoke at the school's gymnasium, at 4141 W. Texas 93, in front of a splash of red and black balloons and a podium with a sign that read, “Parents Matter.”
“Parents deserve access to curriculum, to school libraries and to what their children are being taught,” Abbott said.
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Many schools are no longer teaching ideals that America is the greatest country in the world, a divergence from the way he was taught, Abbott said.
“Parents are angry about woke agendas being push on their children,” Abbott said. “Schools are for education, not indoctrination,” a refrain he's been widely using as he travels around the state selling his policy priorities.
Proposals about using public school funding to ease parents' private school tuition costs have been floating in the Legislature for decades, but proposals from GOP lawmakers have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Republicans have been critical of pandemic-related school closures, certain library books and methods of teaching about slavery in social studies courses.
On Monday, Abbott specifically touted education savings accounts, which would give parents access to state money in government accounts to spend on private school, tutoring or home schooling.
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Proponents of the measure have said it would expand school choices for parents, while opponents worry it would take money away from public schools.
Luke Lichtenwalner, whose son attends Central Texas Christian, didn’t know before Monday that lawmakers were talking about using state money for some private school funding. “Hopefully, the Legislature does something,” he said. “It would be a lot easier on the wallet.”
Central Texas Christian’s tuition ranges from $4,099 to $10,912 per year, depending on grade level, according to the school’s website.
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Parental school choice
Ruben and Ivette Martinez’s daughter recently graduated from Central Texas Christian School, so savings accounts wouldn’t affect them. However, the couple hopes bills allowing public money to be used for private education pass this legislative session.
“It’s something that is so needed,” Ivette Martinez said. “The parents, their arms have been cut in a way.”
Parents should have more options in deciding where to send their children and what values they should learn in school, she said.
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The couple made many sacrifices to send their daughter to Central Texas Christian School, including paying thousands in tuition and driving 40 minutes one-way to bring her to the school, Ivette Martinez said.
“It was an investment in her future,” she said.
Abbott also reminded the audience of the parental bill of rights he proposed last year, a document that largely included rights already afforded to parents in the Texas Education Code.
Several lawmakers have filed bills proposing education savings accounts and similar programs, such as Senate Bill 176 by Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, and House Bill 557 by Rep. Cody Vasut, R-Angleton. Both bills propose publicly funded programs for private school and other services.
Last week, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced parental rights and school choice were among his legislative priorities, though his priority bills have yet to be filed.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: School choice, education savings accounts pushed by Abbott in Temple
