No Blank Check for Private School Vouchers

No Blank Check for Private School Vouchers toolkit

On October 7th, the Texas Senate Education Committee will meet for an interim hearing that includes “Celebrating the Successful Rollout of School Choice.” But the rollout of Texas’ $1 billion private school voucher program has actually been marked by broken promises, insufficient data, and unanswered questions.

What we do know about the first year of Texas vouchers is:

Most vouchers are going to students who were already enrolled in private and home schools.
Instead of expanding choices for parents, private schools are choosing which students to enroll.
Vouchers have a public school price tag and Texas public school families may lose choices as a result.

Use this toolkit to share the facts about private school vouchers and contact your lawmakers to oppose additional funding to the TEFA voucher program. Contact Maggie Stern, OSOD Director of Community Engagement, at mstern@osod.org with any questions.

The Texas Senate Education Committee will meet at the Texas Capitol in Austin on Wednesday October 7th beginning at 8a. There will be an opportunity for public testimony. You must testify in person. (Notice of Public Hearing)

When: Wednesday October 7th beginning at 8a. The committee will hear several items and we can’t predict when public testimony on Texas vouchers will begin or end, so prepare for a long day.
Where: E1.028 (Texas Capitol hearing room)
Parking: Capitol Visitors Parking Garage
How to register to testify: There will be witness registration kiosks near the hearing room where you will need to register on the day of the hearing. Registration usually opens around an hour before the hearing. There is no remote option; you must be at the Capitol in order to register and to testify.
What to say: You will have two minutes to testify. Practice what you want to say to make sure you don’t go over two minutes. Here’s a sample outline:
- Start by introducing yourself.
  - Example: My name is [YOUR NAME] and I am a [parent/student/taxpayer/teacher] in [YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT].
- Share your story and why you oppose private school vouchers. Here are some data points you can share:
  - Vouchers are mostly going to families that are already choosing private and home school. Nearly 75% of applicants, 70% of awardees, and 80% of the waitlist weren’t previously enrolled in public school.
  - Vouchers allow private schools to choose which students they want to serve. Over 27,500 families have already returned their voucher and most opt-outs were from families who previously had enrolled in public school.
  - Texans have more choice on paper than in practice. A recent report found that more than a quarter of reviewed voucher-accepting private schools had special education-related concerns on their websites, like stating that the school will not serve students with specific disabilities.
  - Vouchers have a public school price tag. There are 733 Texas public school districts with at least one student who was awarded and funded for a TEFA voucher account.
  - 54% of Texas counties don’t have a “brick & mortar” elementary, middle, or high school accepting vouchers, even though taxpayers in those counties pay for vouchers across the state.
- Make an ask. Let your lawmaker know that you oppose increased funding for private school vouchers. Here are some examples:
  - Please prioritize funding public school districts that serve all students instead of increasing funding for private school vouchers.
  - Our family chooses public school and we hope you will too by opposing any effort to increase taxpayer funding vouchers.

Email mstern@osod.org if you need support testifying.

The list of senators on the committee is available here. Click each senator’s name to find their office phone number. When you call, you will speak to a staff member in the office. Here’s a sample outline of what you can say:

Start by introducing yourself.
- Example: My name is [YOUR NAME] and I am a [parent/student/taxpayer/teacher] in [YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT].
Share your story and why you oppose private school vouchers. Here are some data points you can share:
- Vouchers are mostly going to families that are already choosing private and home school. Nearly 75% of applicants, 70% of awardees, and 80% of the waitlist weren’t previously enrolled in public school.
- Vouchers allow private schools to choose which students they want to serve. Over 27,500 families have already returned their voucher and most opt-outs were from families who previously had enrolled in public school.
- Texans have more choice on paper than in practice. A recent report found that more than a quarter of reviewed voucher-accepting private schools had special education-related concerns on their websites, like stating that the school will not serve students with specific disabilities.
- Vouchers have a public school price tag. There are 733 Texas public school districts with at least one student who was awarded and funded for a TEFA voucher account.
- 54% of Texas counties don’t have a “brick & mortar” elementary, middle, or high school accepting vouchers, even though taxpayers in those counties pay for vouchers across the state.
Make an ask. Let your lawmaker know that you oppose increased funding for private school vouchers. Here are some examples:
- Please prioritize funding public school districts that serve all students instead of increasing funding for private school vouchers.
- Our family chooses public school and we hope you will too by opposing any effort to increase taxpayer funding vouchers.

Email your state senator and urge them to oppose additional taxpayer funding for private school vouchers. Use this link to write your email and automatically send it to your senator. Ask them to share your concerns with all Senate Education committee members.

Voucher Fast Facts
- Share premade graphics to educate your community about Texas’ new voucher program. All images are available to the right. Left click to scroll through the options. Right click to save an image. Tag Our Schools Our Democracy (@osodtexas) so we can amplify your stories.

#TexansChoosePublicSchools Social Media Posts
- Let’s show lawmakers that Texans support our public schools. Post photos, videos, and stories from your school district to show that #TexansChoosePublicSchools. Tag Our Schools Our Democracy (@osodtexas) so we can amplify your stories.

Choice on Paper, Not in Practice webinar: Watch the recording of our 9/30 webinar that discusses the latest Texas voucher data.
Voucher fact sheet: Get the latest data on Texas’ voucher program.
Review of voucher-accepting private schools: Learn how voucher-accepting private schools create choice on paper, not in practice.
Watchdog portal: Submit feedback on the Texas voucher program. Anyone can confidentially report potential fraud, waste, or abuse using this portal. TXCVT is not a government agency and will not investigate reports or take legal action. Information submitted through this portal helps to identify statewide trends and potential red flags.