A school voucher bill could impact more than 500,000 homeschooled students in Texas.
However, homeschooled students are rarely included in school voucher conversations.
Anita Scott with the Texas Home School Coalition said the organization supports the Senate’s proposal for school vouchers, but only exactly as it’s currently written, with no harm to any homeschooled students.
As the school voucher is currently written, homeschool families could receive $2,000 yearly from the education savings account program. If a homeschooled child has special needs, they could receive $2,500.
“We see that as a win because it would begin to help offset some of the burdens that come with homeschooling,” Scott said.
The funds could help pay for textbooks, dual credit classes, private tutoring and speech therapy.
Under the Senate proposal, homeschooled children must take a yearly test — a norm reference test — to continue qualifying for a school voucher once approved. Several different types of these exams exist. It is similar to the test that public school students take at the end of the year, except the grading on this test is different.
“The standardized test means there’s a pass or fail because you have to hit a certain standard,” Scott said. “In a traditional ISD, if you do not pass your standard test, you cannot matriculate to the next grade. But when you take a norm reference test, it’s actually just assessing where you are.”
“Even though we have a large portion of homeschooling families in Texas, not every single family will opt into it,” Scott said.
Texas Home School Coalition estimates that there are between 500,000 and 620,000 homeschooled students in Texas. However, based on school voucher numbers across the country, Scott doesn’t expect all of them to apply.
“There are 30 plus other states that have passed some form or measure of an ESA program,” Scott said. “In every state, there’s only been less than 3% of the student population that opted into the ESA program.
Though, if the school voucher bill is passed into law, many people have their eyes on private schools.
Bexar County has more than 50 private schools, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Many of them cost more than $10,000 per year.
Some private schools provided KSAT statements about their stance on school vouchers.
Keystone Private School
“Dear Parents,
Several of you have asked us whether Keystone will accept school vouchers, if the Texas Legislature passes a measure.
Right now, there’s much we don’t know because the bill creating a voucher program is still making its way through the legislative process. Last week, the State Senate passed a bill that would give 100,000 Texas families $10,000 per child in an Education Savings Account that parents could direct to private school education, among other educational uses. The State House is expected to take up the measure soon.
We are monitoring the progress of the legislation, in consultation with parents who are close to the Legislature, Keystone Trustees, and with the leadership of the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS).
If a final version passes both houses and is signed by Gov. Abbott, we will analyze, discuss, and decide whether or how this might change things for us. Once we know, we will notify you about any changes we might make.
Please know that we are staying on top of these developments as best we can.”
Saint Mary’s Hall
“The value of a Saint Mary’s Hall education is rooted in our independence. Our tuition considers our rigorous curriculum, robust programming, and exceptional teachers, and we are dedicated to providing access to students from a broad range of socio-economic backgrounds through our need-based tuition assistance program.
While we are aware of the proposals in the Texas Legislature, we still believe that our School’s independence allows us to provide a tailored and unique educational experience that prepares our students to thrive in college and know fulfillment in life.”
Read also