Every year around late April, I start receiving graduation announcements from friends and family across Texas. I love seeing these photos—proud parents beaming with joy, celebrating the accomplishments of their kids. It’s a special moment.

But every one of those announcements brings a pit to my stomach. Because behind the caps and gowns, behind the balloons and smiles, the data tells a very different story: nearly half of Texas high school seniors fail their final English and Math assessments. And year after year, the numbers don’t lie. We are sending students across that graduation stage with a handshake, a diploma, and skills far below what they need to succeed.

This session, there has been a lot of talk about school choice. These conversations are important. Hundreds of thousands of Texas families are looking for more educational options for their children. While we focus on passing this monumental piece of legislation, we cannot forget the millions of students who will remain in our traditional public school system. They deserve our focus, too.

That’s why the school accountability system matters. It’s the only statewide tool we have to give parents a clear picture of how their schools are performing. It’s also one of the only ways to monitor how the state is spending billions of taxpayer dollars.

Unfortunately, some school districts don’t want to be held accountable. Over the past two years, they’ve spent taxpayer money suing the state to block the release of accountability ratings.

Let that sink in. Rather than show parents how their schools are doing, they’ve fought to hide the truth.

Because of these lawsuits, parents haven’t seen an official campus or district rating since 2019. To put that in perspective: a graduating senior this May would’ve last seen an accountability rating from their school back when they were entering sixth grade. Think about that. Seven years with zero public-facing transparency. Our students get a report card every six weeks. Why should their schools only get one every seven years?

Texas families deserve better. And they’re paying the price—literally. As Senator Creighton said recently at said at the U.S. Pastors Conference, Texas will be spending nearly $100 billion per year, or $17,777 per-student. Yet, 43% of Texas high school graduates entering our public colleges and universities need remediation in math or English.

Over the next few weeks, superintendents and bureaucrats from across the state will travel to Austin, pressuring lawmakers to water down our accountability system even further. They’ll tell you the system is unfair. They’ll tell you it’s complicated. They’ll do anything to avoid one simple fact: parents want the truth.

And the truth is this: Texans are not asking for perfection. They’re asking for honesty. They’re asking for transparency. Let’s be clear about what really matters. There are only two metrics that determine whether a school is doing its job: Can its students read on grade level? Can its students do math on grade level? If the answer is no, then the school is failing—period. No amount of slick branding, fancy consultants, or media messaging can cover that up.

It’s time we deliver. Let’s protect and strengthen the school accountability system so every parent knows where their school stands—and every child gets the education they deserve.