BY PARKS KUGLE
What they’re saying
A closer look
Looking ahead
On May 3, Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 2 into law, which enacts a program allowing families to use public funds for private education beginning in the 2026- 27 school year. SB 2 set aside $1 billion for education savings accounts, or ESAs, which can be used to pay for private school tuition and other educational expenses. According to previous Community Impact reporting, most participating students will receive 85% of the per-student funding public schools get from state and local sources— about $10,330 in the first year of the program, the nonpartisan Legislative Budget Board estimated. “We are going to make, through school choice, public schools even more competitive and better,” said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during the SB 2 signing event. “It’s not about us against them or them against us—all together, we want the best public school system, the highest-paid teachers and the best school choice program.” Craft said the effects of the ESAs won’t be fully known for a few years, as they are designed with a tiered system to help those most in need.
Inga Cotton, founder and executive director of the School Discover Network, said alternative schooling options offer a range of benefits, such as hands-on learning, specialized focus areas like early college programs and STEM, more advanced coursework and smaller class sizes. “I think the number one [driving factor to choose charter schools] is learning models …” Cotton said. “Understanding what those learning models are and finding [what works best for your child is] the number one driver. The other concern we hear from parents is [that their] neighborhood public school isn’t offering enough advanced work.” Cotton also pointed out that charter schools are easier to get into than they were 10-20 years ago. “Campuses aren’t running wait lists as long as they were before, because there aren’t as many kids and more campuses have opened,” Cotton said.
Financial impact A rough estimate of basic allotment funding received in 2024-25 is based on the number of net transfers. Net transfers refers to the number of students transferring into the district, subtracted by the number of students transferring out of the district. Maika said public schools offer a wide range of options that allow students to tai- lor their education around future careers. “We have a lot of different offerings, whether it’s in our career and technical education, whether it’s HVAC or cybersecu- rity or anything in between …” Maika said. “I think the difference is public education really allows kids to find their unique path, and there’s a program there for them to find what they’re good at and to excel.” Craft added that public schools not only offer athletics and other extracurricular activities, but a wide range of specialty programs. “There are very few programs that we don’t offer,” Craft said. “I think that’s what differentiates Northside [ISD] from private institutions and charter schools.”
Charter/private schools offerings:
• Unique learning models • Advanced coursework • Smaller class size • Higher emphasis on college readiness • Individualized student support
“It’s hard to predict exactly what an ESA fully implemented will entail. I do anticipate that we will see students that will unenroll in NISD and pursue a private school education utilizing the $10,000.” JOHN CRAFT, NISD SUPERINTENDENT
Basic allotment funding*
Net transfers
District
Public schools offerings:
• Diverse program offerings • Extracurricular activities • Career and technical education programs • University Interscholastic League • School choice within the district system
Northside ISD 19,773
$121,801,680
Join San Antonio’s Premier Youth Choir!
North East ISD 9,954 $61,316,640
*THESE AMOUNTS ARE SOLELY BASED ON THE BASIC ALLOTMENT PER STUDENT IN STATE FUNDING IN THE 2024-25 SCHOOL YEAR, WHICH WAS $6,160 PER STUDENT. SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Kids ages 5–18 are invited to sing, grow, and make joyful music with CCSA. SOURCES: SCHOOL DISCOVER NETWORK, NEISD, NISD /COMMUNITY IMPACT
Now enrolling for the 2025-2026 season
Scholarships and Financial Aid are available
Join San Antonio’s Premier Youth Choir! Kids ages 5–18 are invited to sing, grow, and make joyful music with CCSA Learn more at www.childrenschorusSA.org • Now enrolling for the 2025-2026 season • Scholarships and Financial Aid are available
Learn more at www.childrenschorusSA.org
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NORTH SAN ANTONIO EDITION
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