(Cushing ISD) –I often hear people say that hindsight is 20/20. At some point in our lives, we all wish we could turn back time and make a more informed decision. Currently, in Texas, we can learn from the many missteps of the Arizona school voucher program. Instead of wanting to observe what is happening in Arizona, many school-choice advocates are instead choosing to act like lemmings and put their heads down and follow blindly. Lemmings are small rodents that are known for following the masses, even into destructive or dangerous situations.
A flawed voucher program is currently bankrupting the state of Arizona, costing hundreds of millions more in taxpayer funds this past year. We must do better for the next generation of Texans by voting on March 5 in the primary election for those who have stood with our public-school teachers and students. The education of our children is too important to make an uninformed decision.
In December of 2022, Arizona adopted the nation’s first universal voucher program; it is similar to what Gov. Greg Abbott wants enacted in Texas. Many states have passed legislation that would allow limited access to a school voucher for students who meet low-income or disability requirements; however, Arizona was the first state to pass a universal voucher program. Their $7,000 per child universal voucher, called Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, offers us a glimpse at what the future holds for Texas if we too decide to enact legislation that would allow any student access to public funds for private education.
Sold a Big Lie
Since the inception of the 2022 Arizona law, the number of Arizona students using the vouchers has increased to 74,000. Voters were told that their students could use their publicly funded voucher to escape a failing public school that indoctrinates them and transfer to a much safer private school. That is how it was sold to the people who supported the program in Arizona. However, the reality is that over 50,000 of the 74,000 or 68% of Arizona students had never attended a public school. At the time recipients received a voucher, 81% of those who were given one were already attending a private school. The voters of Arizona were sold a big lie.
The result is a massive transfer of wealth from poor and middle-class families to the affluent and wealthy. Almost all the families who received the Arizona vouchers came from affluent and wealthy families and only 5% came from families with a median income of less than $49,000 annually. The students and families who cannot afford to make up the difference between the total tuition cost and the value of the voucher will never be able to use a school choice voucher.
Increased Tuition Costs
In Arizona, the cost of private school tuition has increased since universal vouchers were created. The cost of tuition has gone up between 15% and 20% in Arizona private schools in the past 18 months. This unexplained increase equates to between a $2,500 and $6,000 tuition hike for those attending the schools. There is nothing to stop private schools from raising tuition and cash-in on the vouchers.
High Overhead Costs
The overhead costs of running a voucher program are astronomically high. In Arizona, the administrative costs for running “school choice” were $205.5 million this past year. The proposed legislation for Texas had an 8% administrative fee attached to operate the accounts. These funds would be paid through the comptroller’s office to a third-party vendor. Spending millions of taxpayer money to administer the accounts is wasteful and deprives students and teachers of these funds.
Special Needs Students
If vouchers are passed in Texas, disabled students wishing to attend a private school must waive their rights under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. For many parents in Arizona, choosing a private school has created learning gaps in this most vulnerable student group. According to the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, many of these parents have returned their children to the local public school with insurmountable learning gaps from the lack of services they received at a private school.
Families in Texas already have school choice. There are already existing transfer options for a parent who wishes to move their child out of their neighborhood school; they can attend a public school outside of their residency zone, a public charter school, a private school, or they can home school. Nobody is keeping students from attending whichever school parents deem most appropriate. However, rushing into a system that is proving to be flawed is misguided and irresponsible. Even with a voucher, most parents will not be able to pay the difference in tuition and provide transportation; and when the private schools raise tuition costs, Texas students lose.
Dr. Brandon Enos is the superintendent of Cushing ISD. He strongly supports teachers and students in Texas public schools.