School choice coming to Texas? | Texas: The Issue Is

AUSTIN - Leaders of the Texas House are facing a very big decision after last week's pressure-packed school choice rally and a marathon committee hearing on House Bill 3.

House Bill 3 is the House's version of school choice. The bill is slightly different from Senate Bill 2, which passed last month.

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School choice debate intensifies at Texas House

The school choice debate intensified on Tuesday. Those for and against the idea faced off during a committee hearing in the state house.

In order for any bill to reach the governor's desk, a backroom compromise will be needed.

School choice advocate on bills in Texas Legislature

Mandy Drogin

What they're saying:

FOX 7's Rudy Koski sat down with Mandy Drogin, the campaign director of Next Generation Texas at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, to discuss school choice.

Drogin: "It's critical that all lawmakers realize that we can empower parents to make the best decision for their child and love their child and know where they should be going to school and empower them to make that choice."

Koski: "Is this a punt on public education?"

Drogin: "Absolutely not. I'm a public school parent myself. We have to acknowledge that there are 50% of the children in our classroom right now that cannot read on grade level. And that's been going on for over a decade […]  This is not in any way saying that public schools should not be fully funded and lifted up. It means that every single parent should be in charge, and that a one-size-fits-all system based simply on the street that you live on, does not serve every child."

Koski: "This current plan isn't every parent. It really isn't universal. The only universal part is the application process, not the selection process."

Drogin: "The eligibility."

Koski: "So a very limited number of people who are actually going to benefit from this program."

Drogin: "I wouldn't say it's limited. 100,000 children will have access."

Koski: "Of five million children."

Drogin: "So let's be clear. We can do both. We can say what we want to do and then HB 2 has about 8 billion more dollars. We are going to spend more than $100 billion."

Koski: "Opponents will say that's just a buy down. That's buying down the tax rate, and it's really not giving new money."

Drogin: "Well, that is completely incorrect. There are two different pieces of legislation."

Koski: "So, is it a labeling problem that the people are missing here?

Drogin: "It's not a labeling problem. It's not a voucher, which is what opposition likes to use. No. An education savings account allows parents to truly customize their child's education […] it's not a scholarship. […] There is not going to be a mass exodus from our public school system. So claiming that it's not truly universal is false. Eligibility, every single child in the state of Texas is eligible. Now, the appropriation is what you're talking about. There is $1 billion appropriated this year. That would be enough for approximately 100,000 students whose families needed another choice. And then there's the prioritization. As we've heard in the committee, it is prioritized for low and middle-income families as well as our special education students."

Koski: "Is the plan to come back later and create more money and is that contingent on the surplus?"

Drogin: "At this moment? Yeah, absolutely. It's contingent on demand."

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