Texans for Homeschool Freedom<\/a>, a group of 17,000 members largely organized on Facebook that opposes anything resembling vouchers.<\/p>\nThe voucher bill has been promoted by Abbott as increasing \u201cschool choice.\u201d Instead, the group worries that legislation like Senate Bill 1 poses \u201ca real threat to parental freedom,\u201d according to its website.<\/p>\n
Bussey, an Arlington resident who home-schools three kids for moral and religious reasons, spoke to The Texas Tribune from the Capitol on the first day of the special session, where she was urging lawmakers to oppose any school voucher bill. She said there are many different reasons parents choose to home-school \u2014 moral and religious beliefs, bullying, safety concerns and inadequate accommodations for disabilities are among the most commonly cited \u2014 and with that, families choose a variety of home schooling styles and curriculum.<\/p>\n
Many families work together forming home-school co-ops that meet together regularly and pool resources to pay for supplies and instruction. Others will enroll in online programs. Others will do \u2018unschooling,\u2019 which is more loosely organized and can be catered to the child\u2019s interest in each particular subject.<\/p>\n
Even if a bill such as SB 1 passes with no added government oversight, Bussey said, \u201cit’s the nature of government\u201d that eventually the state would seek to regulate home schooling more heavily. That, she said, threatens the array of parents\u2019 choices.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know my kids better than anybody else,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
For some parents, the fear of government regulation is rooted in the history of home schooling in Texas. Houston resident Jube Dankworth recalled the fear she felt home schooling her children before it was legally codified by the Texas Supreme Court in 1994. Up until the ruling, Dankworth\u2019s family would practice \u201cCPS drills,\u201d in which her children would suddenly hide in case Child Protective Services came knocking.<\/p>\n
Today, Dankworth\u2019s four kids have all grown and attended college, and she is president of Texas Home Educators, a group that helps home-school families connect and find resources to make home schooling easier and more affordable. The group is also against education savings accounts. She said the home-school community in Texas provides lots of support, and families are able to home-school using only the internet and a library card.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ve already built this infrastructure without any help from the government,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Opponents in the home-school community find themselves aligned with many public school advocates, who fear that a voucher program would pull money away from a state public school system that is already strapped for funds. SB 1 has faced stiff resistance from people who say the accounts fund education methods that receive little to no oversight. And, opponents argue, they would essentially be handouts to middle-class and wealthy parents, who can afford to pay a full tuition bill or have the educational backgrounds and financial flexibility to stay at home teach their kids.<\/p>\n
But other home-school families say they would welcome financial help, noting that in addition to potential lost income from one parent staying home, they spend thousands of dollars per year to give their kids an education.<\/p>\n
Joi Faltesek started home schooling after becoming frustrated with the \u201cred tape\u201d and rigidity of public school that she thought was stifling her son\u2019s creativity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI honestly felt like I got my son back. I mean, he was happy again. He was smiling,\u201d Faltesek said.<\/p>\n
Her son has since gone to college, and now she teaches her two daughters and runs the Be Awesome Homeschool Social Club. Faltesek estimates that she spends about $300 per month per child on elective activities and online subscriptions to academic services.<\/p>\n
The financial cost of home schooling is \u201ca hard pill to swallow,\u201d said Faltesek, especially when her son was in high school-level science programs that required either buying chemistry sets or enrolling in a program at an additional monthly fee.<\/p>\n
Swier plans to continue home schooling her youngest daughter, but her sons are still attending public high school. \u201cI think vouchers are amazing,\u201d she told the Tribune while attending a Halloween party in Austin organized by Faltesek\u2019s home-school social group.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are parents that want to home-school but lack the resources to do it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Cristina Loor-Maldonado, a resident of Kyle, said it costs about $400 each month to home-school her fifth grade daughter and son in kindergarten, with sports programs and art classes costing the most. School safety, bullying, and the ability to spend more time with her family all factored into her decision to take her kids out of school, which she said has paid off because her kids are both testing at or above their grade level.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe opportunities are so vast compared to public school,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Loor-Maldonado\u2019s husband\u2019s job allows her to support home schooling expenses, and she said if education savings accounts are ever \u201dconnected to any type of stipulation,\u201d that home schooling families \u201cwon\u2019t go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you’re concerned about requirements that will come with the program, then don’t participate in the program,\u201d said Jeremy Newman, vice president of policy and engagement at the Texas Homeschool Coalition, a group that does legislative advocacy, legal services and general support for home schooling families. The organization favors education savings accounts.<\/p>\n
Newman, who was home-schooled for religious reasons, rejected the idea that vouchers would later be used to regulate home schooling and said it has not happened in any state with an existing voucher program. Instead, Newman said the added financial help will \u201cempower the parents to make the decisions that are best for their kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the fear of regulation is not the only reason some home schooling parents oppose savings accounts. Even though they left public schools, some parents still worry about them losing funding.<\/p>\n
Margaret Paulson of Austin said her son\u2019s kindergarten classroom had become \u201ctotal chaos\u201d following the departure of the teacher, who was replaced by a first year teacher who trained to teach fourth grade. Following the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde in May 2022, safety concerns and pent up frustration with how the school was being run led Paulson to try home schooling for the 2022-23 academic year.<\/p>\n
Despite her experience, Paulson said \u201cpublic schools serve a purpose,\u201d and she remains \u201cskeptical\u201d of voucher-style programs that could direct money toward for-profit schools.<\/p>\n
Before moving to Texas more than four years ago, Michele Arroyo participated in a home-school program in Washington state that was facilitated by the public school system. Her son, who is neurodivergent and has a visual impairment, was bullied in regular public school. Arroyo said Texas should be increasing public education funding, particularly for schools viewed as underperforming.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lower your rating is, the more resources you should get,\u201d Arroyo said.<\/p>\n
Disclosure: Texas Public Policy Foundation have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\nThis article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune<\/a>, a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.<\/em><\/p>\n