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THE TRUTH ABOUT SHOOL CHOICE
THE PROPOSED SCHOOL CHOICE BILL IS NOT WHAT REPUBLICANS VOTED FOR
Hollie Plemons, a Fort Worth mother of 3 and Education activist explains the truth about School Choice and how the bill presented by the Texas Legislature is very far from what Republicans support.
Click here to read Hollie's summary on HB3 and find the Notes and Link to the Bill.
Follow Hollie in Social Media - X: @Hollie_Plemons | FB: @HollieDavisPlemons
If the above Link doesn't work, find the email addresses & verbiage here.
IS SCHOOL CHOICE THE BEST WAY TO FIX TEXAS EDUCATION?
NO, ITS NOT. Governor Abbott and the Texas Legislature, who are strongly advocating for School Choice, are the only ones with the authority to fix the public school system. With Republicans holding a majority in the Texas Legislature, they could make improvements to public education if they chose to.
Our Republican leaders are failing in their Constitutional duties by not maintaining an efficient public education system, as required by Article 7 of the Texas Constitution.
THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION - ARTICLE 7. EDUCATION - THE PUBLIC FREE SCHOOLS
Sec. 1. SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE OF SYSTEM OF PUBLIC FREE SCHOOLS. A general diffusion of knowledge being essential to the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people, it shall be the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools.
Instead of creating a third avenue of education after failing to maintain an effective public school system, they should focus on fixing what they've broken. Expanding their reach into new areas is not the solution, especially after failing to perform their duties in the first place.
WILL TX "SCHOOL CHOICE" TAKE FUNDS FROM PUBLIC SCHOOLS?
Governor Abbott continues to assert that public schools will not lose funding as a result of students enrolling in the ESA program and that the state will ultimately save money. However, the math does not support this claim.
Texas Republicans claim that the State average funding per student is over $15,500, but they don't mention that the state only contributes about $6,100 of that amount. The rest of the funding comes from your Local (City & County) property taxes and federal funds. Under the ESA/voucher program, the State will fund 85% of the average state funding per student, excluding federal funds, which averages around $10,000. Public Schools receive funding from both state and federal sources based on student enrollment. If a student moves to the ESA program, the ISD will lose both the State and Federal portions of that funding.
ESA/Vouchers Impact: As more children opt into the ESA program, public schools will see a decrease in per-student funding. The Texas public school system is funded largely through a per-student allocation of state and local funds. Each time a child moves to a private school under the ESA program, public schools lose the corresponding share of funding.
To offset this loss of funding, public schools could potentially increase local property taxes to make up for the loss of state funding. This would place more of the financial burden on local communities, which may or may not be feasible, especially in lower-income areas where property values are lower.
The bill could potentially hurt public education by diverting funds. When students leave public schools for the ESA program, public schools lose the funding tied to those students, as the state allocates 85% of the average state and local funding per student to the ESA instead. This means public schools may face reduced resources, which could affect their ability to maintain staff and programs, especially if many students opt out.
Vouchers/ESA Funding is clearly stated on Page 17 of HB3 Bill.
ISSUES UNDER TX "SCHOOL CHOICE"
Not Just About Choice: Government-regulated school choice impacts more than just education—it affects taxpayers, public school funding, local control, and government expansion.
Public School Defunding: As taxpayer dollars follow students to private schools and homeschool programs, public schools lose funding while still being required to operate and serve remaining students.
Higher Taxes to Compensate: With public schools losing funding, local and state governments will have to raise taxes or shift money from other services to cover shortfalls.
Bigger Government, Not Less: State control over private education increases, bringing regulations, mandates, and oversight that erode educational freedom.
Loss of Local Control: Once government funds flow into private schools, decision-making shifts from parents and communities to state agencies and bureaucrats.
Unintended Consequences: The system creates a financial strain that could lead to public school closures, teacher layoffs, and further centralization of education under government control.
Who Really Benefits? Education vendors and bureaucratic interests stand to gain, not parents or students seeking true educational freedom.
HOW TO BETTER FIX OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM?
THE IMPACT TO MAJORITY OF TEXANS
IMPACTS EVERY TEXAS TAXPAYER
ITS A GOVERMENT TAKE OVER
WHY ARE REPUBLICANS SUPPORTING THIS?
There is a lot of pressure from Governor Greg Abbott and Republican big donors for voucher/ESA School Choice to be implemented in Texas.
Governor Greg Abbott has received over $12 Million since 2023 from Jeff Yass. Yass is obsessed with school vouchers, aiming to divert public funds to private education. His money has fueled Abbott’s push to oust anti-voucher Republicans, flipping the Texas House toward his agenda.
West Texas Billionaires, Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, have invested over $20 Million in the 2024 election cycle helping Abbott's pro-voucher push, helping flip over 25 Legislature seats. Now the local PACs used to fund their donations are pressuring the newly elected Legislatures forcing them to support School Choice bill under the threat that they will be primaried and replaced, if they don't.
Even Trump voiced his support for School Choice, due to the influence of some of his advisors. President Trump is right in many things, but we have to admit that he has not been infalible in his decisions, and this is one of them. Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon is a huge pusher for School Choice, has deep ties to the Heritage Foundation & Project 2025, and is a staunch advocate of public-private “school choice” schemes.
Other senior Republicans State Legislators, previously against School Choice vouchers, have received funds from the Pro-Casino donor Miriam Andelson and the Texas Sands PAC, in a push to make Casinos legal in Texas. The word on the street in the Austin Capitol is that the push for School Choice from these Legislators, will get them the vote for Casinos to pass the House vote. Charlie Geren has submitted HJR137 to help that push.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES AND VOICE YOUR OPINION
By completing the form below, you can send a pre-written e-mail to Governor Abbott and our State Representatives who can influence the decision whether School Choice Bill will be adopted or not.
Fell Free to modify the subject and e-mail body as it better represents you.
HELP WITH THE COST OF LOGISTICS
We are constantly traveling to Austin Capitol to speak with Representatives regarding School Choice and the problems with the current bill SB2, while also creating, distributing and mailing easy to understand materials, to inform voters.
Any financial contribution to help with these efforts is a huge help in this endeavor, and is highly appreciated, but not expected.
UNIVERSAL SCHOOL CHOICE DEBATE
Watch the videos on School Choice Debate & learn why Abbott's Universal School Choice is not good for us.
