Vouchers Leave Texas Students Behind

And for every student who leaves a Texas public school or charter, a campus would lose about $10,000 in state and local funding. This loss can impact teacher retention and salaries, as well as the extracurricular activities that make for a well-rounded public school experience.  Vouchers have been created to take away funding from our public schools to help the few who are accepted to and who can afford private schools.  Rarely do vouchers cover the entire cost of private school tuition, leaving middle- and lower-class families targeted by these programs to cover the remainder of the cost. In fact, vouchers help families whose children already attend private school as this group makes up the majority of voucher program participants. Vouchers can also leave students with special needs or learning disabilities behind. When parents of students with special needs enroll their child in a private school that does not receive federal funding, they waive their rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Public schools provide these mandated special education services to students; private schools are not required to provide these same special education services to their students. And voucher programs often grow well beyond their intended scope, even when a “spending cap” is included. Small, targeted voucher programs are often the tip of the iceberg and a way to get a foot in the door to pry it open for larger, expanded programs to emerge. Many states have seen voucher programs balloon to larger-than-expected amounts of state dollars. One state in particular saw its voucher program grow to more than 60 times its original spending limit. Vouchers would hurt Texas students and schools. Raise Your Hand Texas believes public dollars should remain in public schools.