Breckenridge Texan

By Carla McKeown and Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan

Local residents will have an opportunity to voice their opinions about the proposed education savings account program — aka school vouchers — during a public hearing by the Texas House of Representatives’ Public Education Committee tomorrow, Tuesday, March 11. Public testimony may be made via electronically submitted comments; the form to submit comments is available now and will be online until the hearing is adjourned.

The public hearing is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. in room JHR 140 of the Texas State Capitol building in Austin. Those who are intending to attend the hearing and comment in person may get information about registering at the following website: https://house.texas.gov/committees/witness-registration.

Those wanting to submit a comment electronically, may do so at the following link: https://comments.house.texas.gov/home?c=c400

Additionally, the meeting will be broadcast live on the Texas House of Representatives website. Click here to see the schedule; a link to the broadcast will be posted on the schedule when the public hearing is in session.

The official notice of the public hearing may be seen at the following link: https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/schedules/html/C4002025031108001.HTM

The proposed bill is House Bill 3, a companion to Senate Bill 2, which passed earlier during this legislative session. In approved, the bill will give Texas families taxpayer money through state-managed education savings accounts to fund their children’s private school tuition or homeschool expenses. Mike Olcott, the representative for District 60, which includes Stephens, Palo Pinto and Parker counties, is listed as a co-author of the bill. Former District 60 State Rep. Glenn Rogers is opposed to the bill.

The Breckenridge Texan is working on an article about how the school voucher program would affect Breckenridge Independent School District and Breckenridge families if it is signed into law. However, we haven’t yet been able to talk to everyone we need to in order to have a complete story.

A timeline for how the bill will progress through the House depends on amendments and discussion within the Public Education Committee and the House. Despite multiple amendments, the Senate bill was approved by the full Senate within eight days of the public hearing.

Regardless of whether you support the proposed education savings account program/school voucher program or oppose it, you can make your voice heard by submitting a comment online or by attending the hearing tomorrow and speaking to the committee in person (see the links above).

Some questions Stephens County residents might consider asking about the bill include:

• How will it impact — benefit or hurt —  small, rural communities like Breckenridge, where there are currently no private schools?
• Is there any plan to come up with options for residents of rural communities like Breckenridge that lack private schools?
• How realistic is it that a small, rural community would be able to support both a public school system and a quality private school for local students?
• Have state officials researched the financial impact on rural schools and consulted directly with rural administrators in small districts, such as BISD? If so, what are the results of such research and conversations? How will this directly affect our rural schools?
• How many students will a school district like Breckenridge ISD lose as a result of the program, if it passes?
• Do the legislators have a plan for addressing teachers’ concerns about potential job losses? Additionally, what effect will this have on programs like special education services? Will schools be able to maintain the same level of support they currently offer?
• What about transportation challenges for families who live in communities without a private schools and who will need to send their children to another community for that education?
• If the bill passes, will additional legislation be introduced to strengthen rural districts through school funding?
• Have lawmakers considered the effect on community traditions and cohesion that local public schools have nurtured for generations in towns like Breckenridge? How will pulling students from public schools affect these traditions and programs?