More Bad News For Low-Income Families

 An Educational Newsletter

Monday, July 14, 2025

By Don W. Allison

Today’s Perspective

Under normal circumstances, school voucher programs are designed to provide options for low-income students, but according to studies from other states, vouchers may not consistently accomplish what they are set out to accomplish. There are a number of factors to seriously consider about the program. Plus, and this is a major factor in the success of the program, the cost of private schools often exceeds the voucher amount and that creates a barrier for low-income families who will have to come out of their pockets to meet the costs.

Speaking of the funds, they will be allocated through the education savings accounts that will be managed by state-managed bank accounts. Families will have access to the funds, but for educational purposes only.

Families will receive $10,000 per student, and there will be additional funds for students with disabilities, which could help cover specialized services. Homeschoolers will receive a smaller voucher amount.

That all sounds good on the surface, but beneath the surface, the program gets ugly.

For one, private school tuition and fees most often exceed the voucher amount, and that makes it unaffordable for some low-income families.

Another reality provided by those studies in other states highlights that vouchers don't consistently improve academic outcomes for low-income students, and there are several factors that contribute to this outcome.

Private schools are not required, or obligated to accept all voucher applicants, and this includes students with disabilities or those from low-income backgrounds, as in inner-city communities, and then there's diversion of funds from public schools that can impact resources and services available to other students. Then there will always be the potential for private schools to exploit the system without any form of accountability.

The Texas voucher program intends to provide educational choices for low-income families, but the overall improvement outcomes are very much questionable because of factors like the cost of private schools, the availability of suitable options, and the extent private schools are willing to go in enrolling low-income students.

The cost of private schools will be the biggest detriment to the voucher program.

In Texas, the average cost of private school tuition varies, but generally ranges from $11,000 to $14,000 per year. In cities like Houston, the cost can be between $25,000 to $30,000. The average cost of elementary school tuition ranges between $10,898 per year, and high school tuition averages $12,435, For we are discussing low-income families, the main question is where they will get the additional funds.

In Houston, the average tuition at the high school level can be about $27,000.

St. Agnes Academy in Houston falls within the average price ranges, but there are some with high reputations or specialized programs that will be way too expensive which are influenced by the school's location, reputation, grade level, and resources offered. But there are opportunities such as financial aid and scholarships available, but again, how will low-income families afford these?

The voucher program is a good idea, but state leaders didn’t complete their homework on it.

In The News

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Officials say at least 100 people still missing after July Fourth floods; recovery efforts could take months

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Message from the publisher:

A Texas Perspective is designed to be informative, historical, and educational, reflecting the ever-evolving political cultures in the country that no longer prioritize voters' interests.

 

There's more in today's issue of A Texas Perspective Magazine.

 

Monday's Perspective

 An Educational Newsletter

Monday, July 14, 2025

By Don W. Allison

 

Today’s Perspective

I remember during the last Texas legislative session, concentration was on school vouchers. I remember the promise to help families pay for private school tuition and other education-related expenses. The program was to create education savings accounts that would be an essential part of the $ 1 billion school choice initiative.

I also remember the promise of no STAAR Testing for students' participation in school choice. But there were concerns that school choice would take public funds from already underfunded public schools, and there would be a lack of accountability and oversight in private schools compared to public schools. Plus, there were above the surface, and beneath the surface that private schools would practice discrimination against students' religions, sexual orientation, or family income.

Some were concerned about the cost of the voucher program skyrocketing and having a negative impact on taxpayers.

Regardless of concerns and the impact on taxpayers, Governor Greg Abbott was tickled red when the bill passed both chambers. He made sure doubters watched him sign the bill with a televised signing and statement.

What Abbott and the legislative body didn't consider was that Texas schools are no different than other schools in other states. They all rely on federal education funding for some programs.

After the Trump administration decided to delay over $6 billion in grants, states across the country, including Texas are starting to become worried that the delay will have a significant impact on the school vouchers.

Texas is expected to lose $600 million in anticipated education funding due to the delay, and that represents more than 16% of the state’s total federal K-12 funding, which would impact ‘crucial programs like after-school initiatives, professional development for teachers, and resources for English language learners.’ The pause on bilingual education funding is deeply concerning for Texas because a large percentage of students are bilingual learners.

Like other school districts across the country, Texas had already finalized plans for the upcoming school year based on expected federal funding. Now they face difficulties with either delaying some, or most of those plans, or finding alternative funding sources.

What the delay in funding has caused is a reality for Texas, whose public schools already rank near the bottom nationally in per-student spending. The disparities in funding have somewhat of an equalized system where the state provides additional funds to districts with insufficient local property tax revenue, and this includes wealthy areas that are also operating below adequate funding levels.

Nobody, but the Trump administration knows if the delay is permanent, or just a pause, but the concerns over the delay are much more far-reaching than Washington, D.C.

In The News

I Remember the 2002 Fourth of July Hill Country Floods. This Year, the Water Returned

On July 4, 2002, my childhood home just south of Kerr County flooded after a heavy rainstorm moved through the Texas Hill Country, hitting the headwaters that feed the Medina and Guadalupe rivers hard. That morning 23 years ago, I, age 8, woke up in a cabin at an overnight summer camp near Kerrville rattled but safe after a night of timber-shaking thunder and rain, not knowing that 20 miles away my mother and brother were taking refuge in the attic of our home as the waters rose around them. 

Internet Slams Reporter Who Asked Black Texas Man Whose Entire Family Died in Floods The Worst Question, Ever

One Black Texas father is grieving the loss of his whole world after catastrophic flash flooding occurred July 4th weekend. After telling a reporter how he lost his wife and son in a TV interview, what happened next made many viewers go from heartbroken to downright angry.

Documents Show FEMA Calls Went Unanswered. Kristi Noem Claims It’s Fake News

Facing a New York Times report citing documents showing that thousands of calls to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) went unanswered in the days following the devastating Texas floods earlier this month, Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem deployed a favored strategy among Trump and his cronies: cry fake news.

Did US government cuts contribute to the Texas tragedy?

In the aftermath of the fatal Texas floods, some Democrats have warned about the "consequences" of the Trump administration's cuts to the federal government workforce, including meteorologists, with Senator Chris Murphy saying that: "Accurate weather forecasting helps avoid fatal disasters."

Trump defends federal government’s response to Hill Country floods during Texas visit

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Texas lawmakers on Friday defended the federal government’s response to the deadly July Fourth flooding in Central Texas, claiming that aid was quickly dispatched to reeling communities after the floodwaters swept through.

 

Message from the publisher:

A Texas Perspective is designed to be informative, historical, and educational, reflecting the ever-evolving political cultures in the country that no longer prioritize voters' interests.

 

There's more in today's issue of A Texas Perspective Magazine.