School choice advocates advertised a statewide rally at the Capitol on Tuesday, promising 4,000 supporters in celebration of National School Choice Week. Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are included in the lineup of speakers.

"It is time to empower all parents to choose a school that is best for their child," Abbott said. "It is time to ensure that no child is going to be stuck in a failing school."

School choice is the phrase of the day and will be top of mind for some legislators throughout the session, but for some confusion remains—is there one concrete definition of school choice?

The short answer is no. Here are a few different ways school choice could be enacted in Texas.

Tax credit scholarships: Private businesses donate funds to nonprofits for public or private school scholarships. The nonprofit distributes funds as it sees fit to students in need of an alternative education. This would bear the lowest burden on the state, as it requires zero state dollars to work.

Vouchers: A government-funded voucher that is redeemable for tuition at a school other than the one the student already attends for free. If that school is failing, the student can opt to attend another option—either private, charter or homeschool. This is likely the most controversial school choice proposal as it would take funds destined for certain public schools and send the money elsewhere.


Education savings accounts: Texas takes the average amount spent on a student and puts that money into an account for students who attend a failing school. The student can use these funds to find alternative options for education. Again, this option is controversial because it would take money away from a public school that would otherwise receive the money.

Opting out of a failing school: This option would allow a student to opt out of their failing school to attend an operational school in the same district. This would not necessarily involve the transferring of funds.

At this time, the Senate has yet to file its school choice bill. Patrick promised to support this legislation, reserving Senate Bill 3 for this specific purpose.

House reps have already expressed concerns over this topic. Rural members, whose districts often lack alternatives to public education, would not gain much from a school choice bill.

Last session, Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, was part of an effort that shut down the Senate-backed school choice bill once it arrived in the House. This session, other key members of the House Education Committee have echoed doubt in the school choice movement.

State Sen. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, is considered by many to be on the shortlist for the House Education Committee chair position. He said he takes issue with diverting public dollars from public schools without accountability, no matter the form school choice will eventually take.

"What they are gearing for is the idea that we want to take public dollars and divert them to private and parochial institutions and not have the same accountability and standards that you have in public school," Darby said at an event held by the Texas Tribune. "You can't put lipstick on this pig."