Texas lawmakers have launched one of the largest education savings account programs in the country, igniting celebration among school choice advocates and fierce resistance from critics. The initiative expands parental authority and competition in the state’s public education system.
Mandy Drogin, senior fellow with the Government Reform and Oversight coalition at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, sees the rollout of Texas Education Freedom Accounts as a shift toward empowering families and addressing what she calls a crisis in the classroom.
She argues that education policy has moved away from parental priorities. “I see myself as trying to organize and help other mothers, other parents, and patriots fight back against a system that has built an insulation around themselves that continues to ignore parents.”
Academic performance data, she says, tells the story. “Fifty percent of our kids cannot read on grade level, 60% can’t do math on grade level, and 70% failed our history and social studies examinations,” she says. “There is a crisis in our classrooms, and it’s been building for really decades.”
Governor Greg Abbott’s decision to prioritize education freedom changed the debate, she argues. “He made this his mission to deliver freedom, to empower parents, and to completely reform the entire education system,” Drogin says. Within days of launch, more than 100,000 families applied. “Less than 10 days in is when they hit the 100,000 mark,” she says. “Parents are sayin,g ‘we need choices.’”
Applicants span income brackets. “It’s about a third, a third, and a third,” she says, describing participation across lower-, middle-, and higher-income households. She encourages families to apply even if demand exceeds funding. “By signing up, you’re telling them, ‘Hey, me too. I want this as well for my family,’” she says, referring to lawmakers who will revisit funding levels in future sessions.
Critics argue that education savings accounts divert resources from public schools. But, according to Drogin, the funds do not come out of the permanent school fund. “The $1 billion appropriation came from general revenue,” She says.
She also argues that the program will not inflate private school tuition, a concern of some parents who pay for private education. “The studies have been done,” she says. “This does not increase tuition costs.”
Median private school tuition in Texas sits just under $10,000, she notes, close to the state’s ESA baseline. “If you price out the market, then the market will find other options,” she says.
Families of children with disabilities were among the most vocal supporters, she says. “They were some of our most ardent supporters.” She describes private schools designed specifically for students with autism, dyslexia, or other needs. In Florida, she notes, the number of private schools serving special needs students doubled after similar reforms. “The market will respond,” she says.
Opposition from public school leaders, particularly in Austin, she says reflect deeper cultural disagreements. She criticizes districts that emphasize identity politics and student protests. “Parents now have an off-ramp,” she says. She believes competition will prompt course correction.
The legislation includes safeguards to protect homeschoolers and private schools from regulatory overreach. The legislature “went so far as to literally list out that you cannot infringe upon curriculum, testing, admissions requirements, hiring, any aspect of operations,” Drogin says. Families uncomfortable with government funding remain free to opt out.
“Parents are saying we need choices,” she says. She predicts the initiative will “course correct an entire system for the state of Texas.”
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