DALLAS — State Representative John Bryant, D-Dallas, was one of the leading Democratic voices arguing against a proposed school voucher plan, House Bill 3, during a recent House Public Education Committee hearing in Austin.
Hundreds of people signed up to testify and the hearing lasted nearly 24 hours.
For Rep. Bryant, when it comes to funding public schools versus private schools, it’s a matter of priorities.
“We’re fighting for public education which educates 5.5 million kids. And the private schools and the homeschoolers combined total up about 900,000 only,” the Democrat told us on Inside Texas Politics.
HB 3 would provide most students with nearly $11,000 in taxpayer dollars so they could attend private schools. An additional pool of money would be set aside for students with disabilities.
The Senate version, Senate Bill 2, would provide $10,000 per year per student. It would jump to $11,500 for students with disabilities.
Under both the House and Senate voucher proposals, anyone who could attend a public school is eligible to apply for a voucher, even those enrolled in a Pre-K program. Children already attending a private school could also apply.
The House plan debated during the recent hearing would set aside $1 billion for education savings accounts. Restrictions on eligibility would only kick in if more students apply than there are spots available. If that happens, the House plan would prioritize students with disabilities with an annual income up to 500% of the federal poverty level. After that, it would be families at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.
The Senate version would prioritize students with disabilities and families earning up to 500% of the federal poverty level.
Rep. Bryant argues Texas has long shortchanged public schools with state funding, and vouchers would continue that long-term trend.
The basic allotment for students in public schools has remained the same for years, currently $6,160 a year per student. But that’s based on attendance.
Critics of vouchers argue that if more students leave public schools for private schools, that would lead to an even lower basic allotment.
While a separate bill is being considered that would add $220 to the basic allotment per student, Rep. Bryant says it’s not nearly enough.
In fact, he argues the state’s surplus isn’t the result of good fiscal management, it’s the direct result of underfunding public education for years.
“It takes $1,340 in additional money (basic allotment) to just keep up with inflation,” he said. “What’s very disappointing is that we have the money. We have record surpluses two years in a row now. There’s plenty of money to meet our responsibilities. If we moved Texas from 44th in the nation to 25th, it would take the entire surplus.”
House Bill 3 remains in committee and no vote has been scheduled yet.
Senators already passed SB 2 and sent it to the House.