OISD Trustees skeptical of state voucher bill

Members of Olney’s school board are skeptical that state lawmakers’ proposals to divert taxpayer money into private, religious, virtual or home schools will help the Olney Independent School District – a view that lines up with a recent poll conducted by the Texas Association of School Boards.

The poll of 804 registered voters was conducted in February on behalf of TASB by Perception Insight, an Austin-based opinion research firm. Among those responding, 48 percent reported voting for Republicans most of the time, compared to 30 percent indicating a preference for Democrats. Another 14 percent reported voting independent of party.

“Regardless of party affiliation, the majority (55 percent) of those responding to the poll reported being less likely to support vouchers knowing that these proposals would give private schools, not parents, the right to choose,” TASB Executive Director Dan Troxell said. “There’s also a concern among a majority of those polled that vouchers or education savings accounts would operate outside of any taxpayer accountability on academic performance.”

State legislators have floated several bills that would create various types of voucher systems. OISD Trustee Summer Branum, an attorney, studied Senate Bill 8, which calls for families to receive $8,000 per student in an educational savings account that could pay for private school tuition, tutors, uniforms and other approved educational expenses.

“I favor empowering parents in their children’s education, but I don’t support the current ‘education saving accounts’ legislation, SB 8,” she said. “It won’t pay off for rural Texas parents as much as it might for those in cities, and it could further dilute funds that are already spread thin. Schools have become a political football nationwide, but in Olney, we aren’t on a culture war battlefront. Our own friends and neighbors are teaching our kids, and they’re committed to this community. There are so many positive ways our legislators could support and improve schools like ours. This bill incentivizes giving up on them.”

Mrs. Branum said “parents should choose private school if that is what is best for their kids, but I’m convinced that public funds in private schools will lead to government intervention in private schools. If that happens, parents really won’t have much choice at all.” The TASB poll showed that Texans want the Legislature to prioritize public education with a focus on raising teachers’ salaries, and a growing bipartisan opposition to “shifting public money into a new costly entitlement program that would mostly benefit wealthy families,” Mr. Troxell said.

Among the voucher proposals being considered during the legislative session are ones that would exclude rural districts, where private school options are few and far between. But when asked about whether a rural and/or small district exclusion would sway their opinion on voucher programs, those responding to the poll came out nearly even with 35 percent in opposition and 34 percent in support. Another 31 percent said it “depends” or they were “unsure.”

The poll also found that 56 percent of respondents believed that the state of Texas does not provide enough funding to public schools, compared to 35 percent who believe funding is adequate. Nearly 70 percent reported a positive impression of the educators in their school district.

OISD Board President Jake Bailey also opposed the Senate Bill 8 voucher proposal because of the potentially negative impact on the school district’s funding.

“In our small community, we are committed to providing the best educational opportunities for our children. We recognize the challenges of educating children in rural areas where resources are limited, and where we face hurdles that larger schools in the state don’t understand,” he said. “Regardless of the school choice incentives that are being considered, I fear that ESAs, scholarship tax credits, and vouchers all dilute the dollars being paid to districts by the State of Texas, and we need every dollar we can get to educate our students.

“These school choice options aren’t subject to the same accountability and transparency requirements that public schools face, while the public schools have the potential to lose funding to these school choice alternatives in the face of increasing regulation and unfounded mandates from the State of Texas,” Mr. Bailey said. “We are committed to using every resource available to provide the absolute best education possible to the students of Olney ISD. Regardless of how SB 8 plays out, we will continue to strive to provide every opportunity for our children. However, we recognize the reality that school choice will be detrimental to our efforts to achieve that end here in Olney, Texas.”