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Texas Senate debate 'school choice' plan
At the Texas Capitol, debate is underway over a plan to offer tens of thousands of Texas families the financial flexibility to send their kids to "private" rather than "public" schools. FOX 26 Political Reporter Greg Groogan has been following the controversial issue closely.
HOUSTON - On the floor of the Texas Senate the crusade for "school choice" has begun with a proposal to offer 60,000 students $8,000 per year state-funded stipends to attend the private school of their parent's choosing.
Total initial cost- a half billion dollars.
"We must recognize that a one-size-fits-all approach does not address the diverse needs of our diverse student population. Taxpayers are either going to pay for some of these kids to go to prison or they are going to pay for these kids to have an incredible education opportunity that suits their needs," said Senate Education Chairman Brandon Creighton.
RELATED: Abbott sets agenda for Special Session - School Choice tops the list
Creighton insisted that the flexibility offered to roughly one percent of the state's school-age kids will not come at the expense of existing public schools.
Democrats weren't buying it.
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"What you are going to see members is a decrease in spending per pupil in public schools and an increase in spending on kids involved in voucher programs," said State Senator Royce West of Dallas.
"You can put lipstick on it. You can dress it up. You can put some jewelry on it, but we are still at the very bottom when it comes to funding our public education system. We are still playing catch up to get with other states," said State Senator Carol Alvarado of Houston.
Other critics viewed the extension of publicly funded choice as a subsidy for parochial schools with insufficient accountability for the tax dollars spent.
"I think actually we are crossing the line between church and state even if it's not intended," said State Senator Nathan Johnson of Dallas.