The school choice debate in Texas

This year, National School Choice Week chose Houston for it’s Celebration Kick-Off. The organization says Houston Independent School District embraces public school choice by offering a menu of educational options, such as public charter and magnet schools.

But parents, tired of low-performing public schools, have other choices too. Meet Deb Roennebeck, the mother of four, teacher to three.

“Before I even had children, I knew I was going to homeschool,” Roennebeck said.

Roennebeck heads the Vista Hills Homeschool Ministry in El Paso. Her family is one of the hundreds homeschooling in the borderland. And they take school choice very seriously.

“I was convinced that it would be the best thing for my kids,” Roennebeck said.

According to School Choice Week, 1.8 million children, or three percent of the American student population, are homeschooled. Over 300,000 students learn via online curricula.
There are 4,000 magnet schools, public schools focusing on a specific theme, such EPISD’s Silva Magnet High. And over 2.3 million children are served by charter schools, independent public schools that are allowed more freedom in their curriculum.

It’s that freedom that draws Roennebeck to homeschooling.

“In some cases, people that have been trained to teach in the public school system, that is a barrier to them, to be free to teach in a more imaginative way and a more one on one way,” Roennebeck said.

“I think the movement is building and in my point of view, it’s the civil rights issue of the 20th century,” said Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX).

The issue pits powerful political forces against each other. Especially when it comes to the fifth option for parents: private school vouchers.

“We shouldn’t set up something that steals from the majority of kids in our schools to benefit a few that could probably already be attending private schools,” said Rep. Joe Moody (D-El Paso).

Private school choice or voucher programs put state-funded scholarships in the hands of parents who can’t afford private schools. There are only 23 states right now that use the program, and 260,000 students involved. Texas is not one of them.

“What school choice is all about is giving low-income kids, the same opportunities the rich and middle class has always had,” Cruz said.

The issue is one El Paso Moody has seen come up in several legislation sessions. He said school vouchers take tax dollars away from public schools, to help only a handful of Texas students.

“We’re one of the worst in the country in what we spend in our public schools. Our teachers are some of the lowest paid in the country. That shows you that what we’re doing in our schools is not fully-funded. All that private school vouchers do is take money out of our public schools,” Moody said.

“Just dumping money in the school district doesn’t work,” Cruz said. “Many of the school district that are struggling the most have had a bunch of money dumped into them.”

The debate over school choice is sure to continue in Texas. But for Roennebeck, the choice is made.

“Getting to spend time with my kids, getting to see them bloom and grow, you just can’t beat it,” Roennebeck said.

For more information on school choice, visit schoolchoiceweek.com.