LIBRE Texas Mobilizes for School Choice in the Lone Star State
Mari, a mother from San Antonio, knows firsthand the struggles caused by a one-size-fits-all educational system.
When her daughter was in first grade, Mari noticed something alarming: her daughter couldn’t read — something her teachers never told her.
Mari made a difficult decision to switch her daughter out of her local school to ensure she received the education she needed. The move helped her daughter’s education, but it came with a new challenge — the cost of private school tuition.
Mari had been searching for ways to advocate for ESAs when she met Cyndi Dominguez, a local staff member with The LIBRE Initiative, at a barbecue in her San Antonio neighborhood.
Seeing the potential for real change, Mari eagerly accepted Cyndi’s invitation to join more than 75 other LIBRE activists at the Texas state capitol in Austin last October.
Together, they shared their stories with state lawmakers, many of whom had previously opposed ESA legislation, all in the hope of bringing educational freedom to Texas families.
How many schools should parents have to pay for?
Sending your children to a private school effectively means paying for their education twice. Your taxes still go to the public school that may have failed to provide them with the kind of education they needed, and you must pay the private school tuition on top of that.
Mari, like many parents, found that paying for two schools for one child was simply too much. This isn’t to say that public schools aren’t the right choice for some students — they are.
But when parents find that other educational options work better for them, they shouldn’t be penalized for doing what’s best for their children.
The solution: Education Savings Accounts (ESAs)
States with ESAs allow parents to use a portion of the public funds already allocated to their children for tuition, online learning programs, tutoring, or other educational expenses.
Under this plan, parents would have a say over which educational options their tax dollars go toward.
That means families are no longer boxed in to a single blueprint that may not be right for their children. Instead, they have the financial flexibility to find an education that best meets their child’s unique needs and aptitudes.
LIBRE’s fight for educational freedom
Now, The LIBRE Initiative, an organization dedicated to mobilizing Latino Americans to support principled policy solutions, has been working to expand educational freedom.
They are working tirelessly to help pass ESA legislation in Texas, which remains the largest “red state” without an ESA law. Through rallies, meetings with lawmakers, one-on-one conversations with voters, and other grassroots campaigning efforts, Mari and other activists are building a coalition to transform the education landscape in Texas.
LIBRE has been part of the movement that has achieved 60+ reforms in 25 states in favor of expanding educational freedom. With Mari’s help, Texas is in a prime position to become the 26th.
Nobody understands the need for a flexible, bottom-up approach to education better than someone for whom the rigid, top-down solution has failed. By sharing her story and joining forces with others, Mari hopes to make ESAs a reality in Texas, providing millions of families the chance to choose the best education for their children.
With dedicated activists like Mari leading the charge, the dream of educational freedom is closer than ever.
You can learn more about AFP and LIBRE’s efforts to pass ESAs in Texas here.
