AUSTIN – Experts from the Texas Public Policy Foundation will speak on four school-choice bills heard by the Texas Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, April 9, 2013, at 8:30 a.m. in room E2.028 of the Texas State Capitol. These bills would open up a number of avenues for school choice for Texas children and parents.

 

Senate Bill 23, on private-school choice, creates an education tax-credit program in Texas. Senate Bill 1575 creates statewide education scholarships. Senate Bill 115 enacts education scholarships for special-needs students in Texas. Senate Bill 1298 improves course-provider flexibility and student eligibility for online learning in Texas.

 

“These bills, if passed, give students and parents real options for an education appropriate for the individual child,” said James Golsan, TPPF’s Center for Education Policy Analyst. “With no real school choice available in our state, our most vulnerable children, mostly from lower-income families or with special needs, often find themselves trapped in public schools that are not meeting their education needs. The status quo in Texas schools is unacceptable, and it’s time to put children first.”

 

“School choice has proven highly successful in other states. For example, Florida’s McKay Scholarship Program for special-needs students demonstrates that a competitive environment where parents have options benefits both students who are actively participating in the program – and special-needs students who remain in public schools,” said Dr. Matthew Ladner, TPPF’s Center for Education Senior Fellow. “Since the program’s inception, reading scores among Florida’s special-needs students have jumped by an average of a grade-and-a-half on the Nation’s Report Card. This is a clear example of how a tailored approach versus a one-size-fits-all approach works for students and parents.”

Matthew Ladner, Ph.D. is a Senior Fellow with Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Education Policy, a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin.

 

James Golsan is a policy analyst with Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Education Policy, a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin.

 

The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin.

 

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