Texas Gov. Greg Abbott reiterated his support of education savings accounts he outlined in his Feb. 16 “State of The State Address” during an address at Central Texas Christian School in Temple, Texas.
“I created Education Savings Accounts for special needs students. It worked so well that a bipartisan super-majority passed it into law and now wants to increase funding for it,” Abbott said.
Abbott had pledged to make educational freedom for parents “an emergency item this session” during his “State of the State Address” at the rare earth elements business Noveon, in San Marcos, Texas. He told an audience of over 380 people on Feb. 20 at the Parent Empowerment Night at Central Texas Christian that things “must change this year” to give parents school choice, a press release said.
“Public schools play an essential role in our state,” Abbott continued in the release. “They educate our future entrepreneurs, scientists, and leaders. We must ensure that our education system works for every child. Parents also deserve education freedom. Without it, some parents are hindered in helping their child succeed.”
By using education savings accounts, parents can “withdraw their children from public district or charter schools and receive a deposit of public funds into government-authorized savings accounts,” EdChoice said. Parents in at least 10 states have education savings accounts available to them, with Arizona establishing the first one in 2011. Parents can use the financial assistance on qualifying educational expenses, according to the Texas Scorecard.
Florida is leading the U.S. in education freedom since the state’s first school choice bill was made law 25 years ago, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said in an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal.
“Since then, 31 states, as well as Washington and Puerto Rico have enacted school choice policies, dramatically expanding the power of parents to exercise control over how their child’s education is provided,” Bush said in the opinion piece.
However, education savings accounts empower parents to personalize their children’s education, the Austin Journal reported that Bush said.
“Want to purchase an online math course? ESAs cover that. Extra books? ESAs allow for that,” the Austin Journal reported Bush as saying. “Tutoring to close learning gaps? That’s an allowable ESA expense. Maybe your student needs a blended approach that includes private school tuition and educational therapies. An ESA has your back.”
Abbott will work with the Texas Legislature this session to “Expand school choice options available through ESAs to all Texas students,” the document “Emergency Item: Education Freedom” said.
Among other goals Abbott has for the legislature session are amending the Texas constitution to “bolster a parent’s right as the primary decisionmaker in all matters concerning their child,” requiring “schools to better inform parents of their rights” and expanding parents’ “access to curriculum, school libraries, and what their children are taught.”
