FUNDING FALLS SHORT
Between inflation and the state’s per-student spending falling behind the national average, public education advocates are asking for more state funding.
Public school impacts Statewide public education advo- cacy nonprofit Raise Your Hand Texas was founded 17 years ago primarily to push back against the voucher move- ment happening in the Texas Legis- lature at the time, Senior Director of Policy Bob Popinski said. Since then, there have been a few attempts to bring education savings accounts to Texas, but Popinski said he believes the concept is getting more momentum this session because this has become a growing national trend since the pandemic. Popinski said there are no benefits to public schools under such programs. “You are taking money and divert- ing it from public schools to a private school or vendor that does not have to offer the same accountability as a public school,” he said. Public schools are held accountable through many avenues, Popinski said, including being governed by locally elected school boards and following publicly reported, state-mandated measures, such as standardized test- ing, the A-F accountability rating system, a financial integrity rating system and certification provisions. Private schools receiving voucher funds would not be subject to these
The basic allotment, or minimum per-student spending at the state level, has not increased since 2019. In that time, the national inflation rate has been about 17%. STATE FUNDING LAGS
$56.76 in social and public returns results from every $1 invested in public education, including:
$8K
$17.24
$31.38
in private sector benefits
in additional generated revenue
$6K
$4K
$6.99
$1.15
House Bill 3 in 2019 increased the basic allotment from $5,140 to $6,160.
in government revenues
in reduced social costs to governments
$2K
$0
SOURCES: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY, THE PERRYMAN GROUP/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
standards, he said. This program would also negatively affect public schools financially, as the state funding they received is based on students’ average daily atten- dance. If five or six students opt to take the voucher and leave their pub- lic school, that funding loss equates to a teacher’s salary, Popinski said. Barba argues that data from com- parable programs across the country shows a minimal impact on public school attendance. He said similar pro- grams nationally show less than 3% of eligible students use the program in the first five years after its inception,
which would amount to about 60,000 students transferring in Texas. “So the idea that there’s an exodus is a myth,” Barba said. Barba said he believes school choice programs can lead to improved public school systems, and families choosing alternative options acts as a signal to districts to design their programs to better suit families’ needs. “When you give families choices, the school districts also improve, and that improves education for every child in the community,” he said. Popinski said vouchers in Texas would cost about $1 billion a year, and
he would rather see those funds used to increase the basic allotment. “Instead of spending dollars on a new voucher program for private schools and vendors … why not use that general revenue to actually bol- ster public education and get them more resources for teacher pay raises, for new programs, for expanding the things that work?” Popinski said. Renee Farmer contributed to this report.
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
512-232-5000 EdServices@austin.utexas.edu
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