What you need to know
Texas lawmakers convened Oct. 9 for a third special session concerning school choice legislation known as education savings accounts at the direction of Gov. Greg Abbott.
The voucher-like program would allow parents to use taxpayer dollars to pay for private school or other educational expenses if they remove their children from public school. On Oct. 12, the Texas Senate passed a bill that would create a $500 million ESA program allocating $8,000 per child.
Like many local school districts, LTISD is opposed to ESAs and vouchers as private schools are not held to the same accountability standards as public school districts, Norton said.
“If you're going to take the public money and put it towards a private venture, then they should have the same financial accountability as well as academic accountability as a public school system,” Norton said.
If passed, Norton said ESAs could divert money from the district to private schools. Last year, the district paid $72 million back to the state beyond its funding entitlement through a process known as recapture, and that payment could increase if students leave the district, he said.
What else?
The Senate also passed a $5.2 billion school funding bill that would raise the basic allotment per student by $75, and increase school safety funding and teacher pay.
Although the district supports raising funding, the basic allotment would need to increase by $900 to keep up with inflation, Norton said. He said the new state school safety law has cost the district $350,000 a year in personnel costs and described it as an "unfunded mandate."
“The funding that they are saying that they have given us doesn't come close to covering the mandates that we have to fill using those funds,” Norton said.
Norton said the district would also like to see an increase to special education funding as costs have significantly increased since 2018. An overall lack of funding means the district has to make cuts in one area or another, he said.
"It puts you in a position where you have to decide what programs or opportunities you're not going to provide kids, because you can't afford them," Norton said.
Who it’s for
Norton, several school board members and Pam Sanchez, LTISD assistant superintendent for business services, advocated for these priorities at the State Capitol by visiting with legislators Oct. 11, he said. In an Oct. 6 letter, he encouraged parents to reach out to their legislators about their thoughts on ESAs.
“Education impacts all of us," Norton said. "Our kids are our future workforce, and anything that we can do to provide them with opportunities for growth and development only helps our communities and our states in the long run."
