August 19, 2026
Testimony submitted to Delivery of Government Efficiency on “Preventing Fraud, Waste, and Abuse”
Chairman and Members of the Committee:
Our Schools Our Democracy (OSOD) is a Texas-based, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused solely on transparency and accountability as Texas privatizes public education through charter expansion, state takeovers, and TEFA vouchers.
Protect Public Education. Preserve Democracy. Texas funds multiple education systems with different rules, funding, and oversight. As billions of taxpayer dollars flow through these systems, Texas must ask: Does the state have sufficient information and controls to identify risks and ensure taxpayer dollars are used efficiently?
Technology Can Help Texans See the Full Education Landscape. The OSOD School Locator Map shows the three taxpayer-funded systems: public school campuses, charter schools, and TEFA private schools. Mapping them together reveals patterns—including saturation of school options—difficult to see in spreadsheets. In communities like Fort Bend and Plano, these patterns should be examined alongside enrollment shifts and financial pressures contributing to school closures.
Follow the Money. Texas is projected to invest nearly $10 billion over the biennium in charter schools serving approximately 466,633 students in 2025–26. Charter enrollment is not capped.
Texas has appropriated $1 billion over the biennium for TEFA vouchers, for approximately 100,000 students in 2026–27. Before considering expanding the program, lawmakers should ensure oversight and fraud detection can keep pace.
Texas knows why oversight matters. IDEA Public Charter Schools was placed under TEA conservatorship following financial and operational concerns. Reports documented luxury driver services, an attempted $15 million private jet lease, and costly Spurs tickets and luxury-box arrangements.
A 2025 ProPublica/Texas Tribune investigation identified more than 60 instances of potential nepotism, self-dealing, and conflicts of interest among 27 Texas private schools preparing to participate in the program. Texas should use technology to identify risks early—not wait for scandals or whistleblowers.
Efficiency Must Also Include School Closures. TEA does not maintain a current statewide school closure list. OSOD’s latest School Closure Map identifies at least 170 campuses approved closure from 2023–24 through 2027 and beyond due to declining / shifting enrollment and budget deficits.
The Committee should consider a publicly available, interactive statewide school closure map to identify relationships among enrollment shifts, other taxpayer-funded school options, and the costs to public schools and communities.
Taxpayer dollars are wasted when overlapping systems are funded without measuring duplication, capacity, enrollment shifts, and long-term costs.
OSOD encourages the Committee to examine taxpayer-funded education as a complete ecosystem and use technology to prevent waste through better information, transparency, and early warning systems.
Good policy requires great information—and Texans deserve both.