Who Really Benefits from School Vouchers?

Editor’s Note: The following is adapted from Boulton’s written testimony against Senate Bill 2, which was heard in committee on January 28.

I am a former private school teacher, a 6th-generation Texan, a graduate of K-12 public education here in Texas, and the mother of three amazing public-school children and I oppose SB 2, legislation currently under consideration that would create publicly funded savings accounts for private schools. Though my husband makes a great living, well above the median income in Texas, we cannot afford private schools, which here in Austin would cost us around $90,000 per year. Were we to receive $10,000 per child, as proposed in SB 2, we would only be a third of the way to funding a private school tuition. Considering that 62 percent of public school students in Texas are economically disadvantaged, I am forced to wonder, Who is the real intended beneficiary of this bill? 

I do not pretend to know the motivation of Jeff Yass, the billionaire libertarian who has contributed funds and pushed to get vouchers passed nationwide, including giving $12 million to our own governor in 2023 and 2024 alone. But I do know that Mr. Yass is not a Texan, and I also know that Texas is not for sale. Libertarians believe that education should be privatized. If that is the goal, can we have a bill doing that, rather than pretending the private school vouchers are about school choice or about serving students? The bill proposes a $10,000 payment per child, which I find interesting, considering that represents a 62 percent increase over the basic allotment that is currently given to each Texas student. If it costs $10,000 to educate a child, why have our schools been underfunded for years? 

We know the answer to that question. We know who has refused to allow an increase in school funding, and it is our governor. Is the Texas governor’s plan to underfund education, then complain when it fails and demand privatization? We all know the system is not perfect, but that does not mean we need to slowly burn it to the ground in the guise of a voucher program. 

According to Joshua Cowen, an author and a professor of education policy, for every dollar that voucher backers invest, they get about $100 in public money. That is an incredible return on their political investments. Perhaps that is the motivation: the desire to turn the second largest public school system into a private one, where the return on those investments would be absolutely enormous. 

All Texans pay property taxes either directly to their county, or to their landlord with the taxes bundled into the price of their rent. Property taxes are what fund public education in Texas, which means that this discussion affects all Texans. I think that means all Texans should have a say in whether or not we allow public dollars to go to private schools. Republican Senator Brandon Creighton, who represents the upscale The Woodlands suburb in Houston, claims that “Texas voters have spoken loud and clear.” If there’s truly a consensus for vouchers, proponents should have put the matter to a vote by the people. You claim parents need a voice in our children’s education? Give us one. Please give us a voice. Change the law and put this measure on a ballot. 

My biggest concern as a former private school teacher is that private schools owe their families nothing. There is no true oversight in a private school, no legal obligation to teach specific curricula, nor to hire qualified or certified teachers, nor to accept all students regardless of disabilities or other challenges. Why should they get public money without public oversight? 

Do vouchers help kids? The data says no; in fact, research demonstrates the negative effects of these programs. If the Texas Legislature passes SB 2 and state education costs skyrocket, student outcomes plummet, and our public education crumbles, what happens next? 

I originally wrote this to deliver at a Senate hearing on January 28, but I fear legislators are not listening. Senators gave only four days notice that they would hold that public hearing on SB 2. I was one of 330 people who signed up to testify. The hearing began at 9 a.m., but the committee didn’t begin to allow public speakers until nearly 3 p.m., and most people had left by then. Clearly, the Senate wants to push this through quickly. 

I believe I speak for parents across Texas who oppose this. We will not forget who sold Texas, and our public education system, to Jeff Yass and Governor Abbott. I am urging legislators to say no to private school vouchers, or at the very least put the measure on a statewide ballot. Public education needs funding and reform, not annihilation. Billionaires are trying to silence the voices of Texans. Please do not let them.

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