Texas Governor Greg Abbott is pushing hard for school vouchers and privatization, arguing parents should have more choice over their children’s education. However, rural Republican legislators and communities oppose this agenda, recognizing that it threatens local public school districts, which are major employers and social institutions in sparsely populated areas. If more students leave for private schools, districts will lose significant funding but still have high fixed costs. Decades of research also show that vouchers do not improve outcomes and can harm disadvantaged students. While Abbott frames this as helping religious families, some faith leaders argue it inappropriately uses public money for religious education. With Republicans making public schools a culture war issue, it is important for Democrats to defend them as community institutions rather than just focusing on test scores.

For now, opposition appears likely to block Abbott’s voucher plans again in an upcoming special legislative session.

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