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Forney ISD Board of Trustees Approves Resolution to Texas Legislature

Graysen Reid

On Monday, Feb. 26, the Forney ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved a resolution asking the Texas Legislature reject any diversion of public dollars to private entities in the form of education savings accounts and similar voucher schemes.

The resolution asked the Texas Legislature “establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools,” because:

  • Texas public school districts accept every student;

  • education savings accounts and other voucher schemes give private schools, not parents, the right to choose;

  • Texas public schools adhere to state-mandated academic and financial accountability standards;

  • private schools are not required to meet the same academic standards as public schools, and they do not report test results, graduation rates, and other performance measures to the public;

  • school choice already exists in the Texas via public school districts, charter schools, inter- and intra-district transfers, home schools, virtual schools, and private schools;

  • education savings accounts and similar voucher schemes eliminate public accountability of schools and tax dollars;

  • using tax dollars to pay for tuition at private and religious schools would grow into a costly entitlement program;

  • a taxpayer-funded voucher program would reduce the amount of state funds available for all schools, harming many rural Texas communities where families have few, if any, private school options; and

  • Texas parents who accept a voucher would lose out on a long list of important parental rights outlined in Texas state education code and in federal law, especially protections for students receiving special education services.