Most Texas voters want voucher-like programs that allow state funding to be used to send children to private schools, according to a new poll from The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler.
The findings could further fuel efforts to push for such school choice options during the upcoming legislative session though divisions and uncertainty remain.
Take Jordan Sims, 34, a Harris County father who said he was in favor of school choice options that would allow parents to use state money for private schools.
He’s pleased with the public elementary school his daughter attends, but he generally supports as many choices as possible for parents.
“I’m on the fence on vouchers, if they were available,” Sims said. “I’m the kind of guy, I practice what I preach. The only thing that would make me put my daughter in a private school is if her school didn’t feel safe anymore.”
Amid the ongoing culture wars, many families want more options when it comes to educating their children. Some believe the political landscape is ripe for a renewed fight for vouchers or similar efforts.
But voucher programs have historically faced a tough road in Texas, with opposition by both Democrats and rural Republicans who don’t want to funnel state money away from public schools.
The new poll of 1,268 registered voters between Sept. 6-13 found that 60% supported the school choice option with 28% of all poll respondents opposed.
More Republicans (43%) “strongly” supported such a proposal compared to Democrats (20%).
About a third, 34%, of Democrats said they were opposed, compared to only 20% of Republicans.
Support for vouchers dipped among respondents when “school choice” wasn’t included in the question.
When asked if they “support or oppose giving parents the option to use state funding to send their children to private school,” roughly 54% of respondents supported the option, compared to 34% who did not.
The partisan split mirrors how divided Texans remain on other education issues amid ongoing culture wars.
Texans continue to debate how topics such as race, gender and sexuality are talked about in schools, fueling some families to consider leaving public schools they believe don’t align with their values.
Trust in local librarians and school officials when it comes to reviewing what books are controversial and should be removed remains divided, similar to results of a poll conducted in February.
About 15% of poll respondents said they trusted educators “a great deal” when it comes to choosing the materials students have access to, while 34% said a “fair amount” compared with 30% in February.
Meanwhile, Texans’ faith in elected state leaders to take on the same task increased since then , with 32% of respondents saying they had either a “great deal” or a “fair amount” of trust in them, compared with about 25% in February.
Public school advocates are bracing for a stronger push for expanded school choice as Republicans have funneled their angst over critical race theory and heightened interest in school libraries into calls for more “parental empowerment.”
Last month, for example, Gov. Greg Abbott continued his push for school choice options during a visit to a Dallas private school. He previously expressed public support for voucher-like programs.
And earlier this month, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick met with former U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige and about 50 Texas pastors on a call that lamented the “crisis” facing K-12 education.
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, Todd A. Williams Family Foundation and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.
