HOUSTON – Thousands of students, parents and educators rallied outside the state Capitol on Tuesday to show their support for school choice.
It was the fifth annual rally celebrating National School Choice Week in Texas.
"This annual event is a reminder to our legislators that parents in Texas want more education freedom," event organizer Randan Steinhauser said. "The demand for more school choice is widespread and it's time for Texas to join the growing number of states that allow parents the opportunity to choose their child's education."
Paul Velte, of San Marcos, attended the rally with his three children. He said he home-schools his children because he can’t afford to send them to private school and said the public school district system is not up to par. “Right now, I’m being taxed to pay for public schools and I’m still having to take the time off to educate the children myself,” Velte said.
He and other school choice supporters believe taxpayer dollars should be allowed to fund private and home education, so parents can have more choices on where to send their children to school. “Who would force a parent to send their child to a school that gets D’s and F’s? That’s just not right,” said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Lt. Gov. Patrick joined Gov. Greg Abbott outside the Capitol to address the rally participants.
Both are avid supporters of school choice. The last time legislation reached the Capitol, it passed in the Senate, but failed in the House. On Tuesday, both leaders pledged to make it a top priority this legislative session. “It is the right of every child from every zip code across Texas to have the choice to attend the school that is best for them,” Gov. Abbott said.
Among the Houston-area schools represented at the rally were YES Prep Houston and Houston Gateway Academy. “Parents know their children better than anyone,” said Joni Mitchell, of HGA. “They know the needs that have to be met and they know their child’s strengths.”
Opponents of school choice fear what could happen if taxpayer money is stripped away from an already cash-strapped public education system. “There are 80,000 new students coming to Texas public schools every year, so if we have more students and less money, there will definitely be less resources available,” said Cynthia Villavolos, of the Association of Texas Public Educators.
According to Lt. Gov. Patrick, right now there are more than $5 million students enrolled in public schools across Texas. There are 300,000 students being home-schooled, 250,000 students enrolled at private schools and 150,000 enrolled at charter schools.