Texas has prided itself on its public school system since it was established in 1854, but Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening to change that. Abbott called a special session on Oct. 9 to vote on a school voucher program that would give families state money to pay for their children’s private school education. However, despite multiple attempts, it has not passed. It should never pass.

Using taxpayer dollars to pay for a student’s private school takes money away from the public school system. Schools that will be impacted most are in impoverished areas that already lack enough funding. Most parents who send their kids to private school do so because they do not believe local public schools provide a good education. But a good education requires funding.

Underfunded public schools cannot provide a well-rounded education because they are not given the financial ability to contain a variety of classes and school programs.  If money is taken away from these schools, the conditions will worsen.

Furthermore, private schools are not regulated by the Texas Education Agency, the organization in charge of public schools. They are regulated by the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission.  While the job of this organization is to make sure private schools provide a quality education, they do not have to follow the same criteria as public schools. Students at private schools do not have to take the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness, so the state has no way of regulating what is being taught at private schools.

This means that government money is being used by schools that don’t have to follow the state curriculum while taking money away from the schools that do follow government regulations. 

Parents who want vouchers to send their kids to private school argue they just want to give their kids the best education they can. However,  the state’s money should go to the public school system. Public schools need funding to function, and the voucher program threatens to decrease their funding.

Public education is one of the equalizers in the U.S., but taking money away from the system and giving it to private schools will make it inequitable. The school vouchers should not pass.