Worst education policy money can buy

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently said the results from a series of Republican primary elections sent “an unmistakable message” that Texas was “closer than ever” to passing voucher legislation.

He is right about a message, but the truly unmistakable message is that money is more important than evidence when it comes to vouchers.

The money is significant. Abbott received $6 million from pro-voucher billionaire Steve Yaas of Pennsylvania, his largest-ever campaign contribution. Betsy DeVos of Michigan and her pro-voucher American Federation for Children’s PAC funneled roughly $500,000 into each of the nine key Texas house races for a total of $4.4 million.

The money also undermines the state’s independence and local democratic processes while empowering a brand of opportunistic politicians willing to support a policy that has been a proven failure. Here are a few voucher facts that no amount of money can change.

Vouchers are an old policy with a tainted past.

Seventy years ago, economist Milton Friedman theorized a policy in which a parent would receive a voucher to select a school, public or private. Soon after, vouchers were adopted in several Southern states as a way to maintain racial segregation following the Brown v. Board of Education decision.

In 1956, a Texas legislative subcommittee pitched the idea as a way to provide white parents with tuition funds if they do “not wish to place his child in an integrated school.”

It might be hard to believe that recently proposed legislation would be racially biased.

Yet on the floor of the Texas Senate this past session, Sen. José Menéndez, a San Antonio Democrat, asked the bill’s sponsor Sen. Brandon Creighton, a Conroe Republican: “Would we not want to make sure that if tax dollars are going to some family savings account, that that family … would be protected from discrimination on the basis of

race, color, religion and that sort of thing; would you be open to that?

Creighton responded: “If that’s important to you, I would encourage you to file that bill separately.”

Vouchers discriminate against children with disabilities.

Here is text from a recent Texas voucher bill: “a private school is not subject to the federal and state laws regarding the provision of educational services to a child with a disability in the same manner as a public school.”

“Not subject to” means the bill allows private schools to discriminate against children with

disabilities on admission, dismissal, and which services they provide.

Vouchers fail to raise student achievement.

Researchers have been studying vouchers for more than 30 years. Initially, researchers found mixed results, but more recent studies using sophisticated techniques show significant negative achievement outcomes for voucher users in multiple states, including Indiana,Louisiana and Ohio.

Pro-voucher groups create what appear to be credible reports and resources that voucher-supporting politicians can use. For example, Friedman founded EdChoice (formerly the

Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice) in 1996 as a nonprofit organization described by the Wall Street Journal as

“the nation’s leading advocate of vouchers.”

EdChoice produces provoucher materials that have been criticized for dubious reporting practices, such as double counting empirical studies and applying unusual standards to exclude rigorous studies that show vouchers fail to raise student achievement. Sadly, Texas legislators have referenced EdChoice reports on the floor of the Texas House and Senate.

Voucher programs are expensive.

In Arizona, the voucher program went from costing $64 million a year to an incredible $900 million a year, with 75% of voucher users having no history of attending public schools. In Arkansas about 95% and in Florida 70% of new voucher users were already enrolled in private schools. In other words, vouchers are a tax subsidy for wealthy families who send their children to private schools.

No amount of money can change the truth about vouchers — even if that money can buy elections. Texans should be wary of voucher advocates and those paid by the super-rich to push a tainted, discriminatory and expensive program that fails everyone but the wealthy families who get their private school tuition covered. Our kids deserve better.

Jon Shapley/Staff file photo Gov. Greg Abbott has been making the case for vouchers, including at Cypress Christian School in Houston. But voters should know about their harmful impact.