AUSTIN, Texas – Hundreds of thousands of students would be given the opportunity for a better education and a brighter future under a school choice plan voted out of the House Public Education Committee today (May 18, 2005) as part of the Texas Education Agency reauthorization bill.

The following statement was issued by the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s president, Brooke Rollins:

“This program will give disadvantaged students who are otherwise failing the opportunity to attend a school that might be better suited to their learning needs. The voucher is actually less than the money allocated to the student in our funding formulas, holding the schools harmless. Research consistently demonstrates that where there is true school choice, all children’s academic performance is enhanced.

“We know that when a child is lost in the system and fails, the cost to Texas is incredibly high. By expanding the options available to low-income parents, we increase the likelihood that children will receive the education they deserve. This is good for the child and good for all Texans.

“School choice opens to door to a brighter future for many children. Chairman Grusendorf and his colleagues on the House Education Committee should be praised for bucking the special interests that have for too long held back the needs of Texans. Now it is up to the full House to offer more opportunities to Texas children.”

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