WASHINGTON—Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday called for comprehensive education reform that would include education choice options for Texas families. Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts made the following statement in response to Abbott’s speech:
“For too long, public schools have prioritized bureaucracy, teachers' unions, and ‘woke’ diversity, equity and inclusion administrators over the education needs and desires of parents and their children. Governor Abbott’s proposal to empower parents by giving them the choice of sending their children to any public, charter or private school, with state funding following the student, is what Texas families need.
"This is the kind of leadership governors and state legislators should be demonstrating. Heritage supports those with the courage and determination to take on the education elites on behalf of parents and students across this country. If we don’t act now to ensure that those dollars follow students, rather than supported bloated, unaccountable systems, we may never get the chance again."
Lindsey Burke, director of Heritage’s Center for Education Policy, added:
“What Governor Abbott is advocating is exactly what school choice looks like. Texans are rightly proud of their state’s record of economic success, but this bastion of liberty has lagged behind when it comes to education choice. Texas is the only state in the South without any kind of private school choice option.
"Governor Abbott’s proposals are a welcome relief for parents who want to choose a school that fits their family’s needs. Texas families deserve more choices than the district school that happens to be in their geographic boundary. Texas policymakers can answer the call by creating universal education savings accounts.”
Education choice improves academic achievement and attainment, increases parental satisfaction, increases access to safe schools, improves civic outcomes, has positive fiscal effects, and, most importantly, enables families to select learning environments that align with their values.
