Presentation about School Choice in Texas.

1. The Status of TX GOP
Support for
School Choice
by Bob Schoolfield
Texans for Parental Choice in Education

2. Good News 1:
2012 Republican Primary Ballot
Proposition 1
The state should fund education by allowing
dollars to follow the child instead of the
bureaucracy, through a program which
allows parents the freedom to choose their
child’s school, public or private, while also
saving significant taxpayer dollars.
Yes or No.

3. Highest Vote
(of GOP HD’s)
87.7% HD 43 Lozano
TX Average
(of all HD’s)
84.3% — —
Lowest Vote
(of GOP HD’s)
71.8% HD 12 Kacal
Prop. 1 Vote Results
Republicans Overwhelmingly Support
some type of School Choice

4. Good News 2:
Lt. Gov. “School Choice”
aka Dan Patrick

5. Good News 3:
2013 Legislative Session
House Floor Vote to Separate
the Sheep from the Goats

6. Amendment #95 to SB1
Submitted April 4, 2013
by Rep. Abel Herrero
Use of Appropriated Funds
for School Vouchers or to
Support Tax-Credit
Scholarships
Prohibited.

7. Bad News:
Too many goats not enough sheep!
Out of 93 GOP Reps Voting
52 Voted Against School Choice
A Majority of GOP Reps Voted Against School Choice

8. Worse News:
70% of Rural GOP Voted
Against School Choice
• 84% of GOP primary voters were for school choice
• 55% of GOP Reps voted against school choice
• 70% of Rural GOP Reps voted against school choice
• A RURAL HD has < 115 Voting Age Pop./sq. mile

9. Percentage Table of GOP
Representatives
Rep’s Rural Urban All GOP
Anti 70% 46% 55%
Pro 30% 54% 45%
Total 100% 100% 100%

10. Conservative Rep’s voting
against school choice?
What’s going on?
• They don’t know the results of the Prop. 1 vote.
• They only hear from the ISD Superintendents, who
believe school choice will hurt their pocketbooks.
• They haven’t heard from their school choice
constituents ON THIS ISSUE.

11. Calling Legislators
• Don’t email or snail mail a typewritten letter, but a
handwritten letter is worth at least 10 phone calls.
• The Leg’s office tallies calls on important votes.
• One column are pro-votes, other column are anti-votes
from constituents.
• If you aren’t a Leg’s constituent, find a friend who is.
• Build a phone tree, there will be
future important school choice votes.

12. The Phone Call
• Be polite and to the point.
• You won’t be talking to the
Senator/Rep.
• You will be talking to a young intern
whose job it is to take the tally.

13. • “My name is Bob Schoolfield and I am a constituent of the
Senator/Rep.
“I would like the Senator/Rep. to vote
in favor of Senate Bill 276.
“Is the Sen./Rep. aware of the voting results from Prop. 1 in
the 2012 primary? No?
“May I email to you the results and ask you to make sure the
Sen/Rep sees them?
“Thank you.
If you said you’re a constituent, he will ask you for your zip
code, to verify that you are in his/her district.

14. First call the
uncommitted Senators.
SB276 is a Senate bill
that will be voted on in
the Senate
before the House.

15. Senate Districts around Conroe
Red - Uncommitted Senators-Call First
Black - Freshman Senators-Call Second
Green - School Choice Senators-Thank Them

16. GOP Senators Near Conroe
Name
Pro/Anti
School
Choice
@Amdt 95
% Pro-
Prop. 1
Sen.
District
Rural/Ur
ban
Phone
Room
Number
Creighton Pro 84% 4 U
512-463-
0104
E1.606
Kolkhorst Anti 86% 18 R
512-463-
0118
Cap 3E.2
Nichols Concern 84% 3 R
512-463-
0103
E1.704

17. House Districts around Conroe
Red - Uncommitted Reps-Call First
Black - Freshman Reps-Call Second
Green - School Choice Reps-Thank Them

18. GOP Rep’s Near Conroe
Name
Pro/Anti
School
Choice
@Amdt 95
% Pro-
Prop. 1
House
District
Rural/Ur
ban
Phone
Room
Number
Bell,
Cecil
Anti 86% 3 U
512-463-
3700
E2.710
Fletcher,
Allen
Pro 84% 130 U
512-463-
0661
Cap GW.4
Huberty,
Dan
Anti 87% 127 U
512-463-
0520
E2.722
Otto,
John
Anti 85% 18 R
512-463-
0570
E1.504
Riddle,
Debbie
Pro 84% 150 U
512-463-
0572
Cap 4N.7

19. Is School Choice permitted
by the Texas Constitution?
In ruling on one of the Edgewood cases in 1995 the Texas
Supreme Court said:
“As long as the Legislature establishes a suitable regime that
provides for a general diffusion of knowledge, the Legislature
may decide whether the regime should be administered by a state
agency, by the districts themselves, or by any other means.”

20. Is School Choice Mandated
by the Texas Constitution
Many Defenders of our Status Quo Public School System appeal
to Sec. 1 of Article 7 of the Texas Constitution to justify the view
that all public funds must go to a public school system.
A general diffusion of knowledge being essential to the
preservation of the liberties and rights of the people, it shall be
the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make
suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an
efficient system of public free schools.
But this view has overlooked a crucial word, efficient. No
monopoly system of schools can ever be efficient, without
competitive pressure. School choice provides that pressure.

21. Details of SB276
“Taxpayer Savings Grants”
• It is a very short bill. (Good)
• The main focus of it is “state savings and government
efficiency. (Good)
• There is no poverty or failing school restrictions.
(Good)
• The voucher’s value is 60% of what the state currently
spends per student. The remaining 40% is savings to
the state. This is how the state saves funds.

22. Details of SB276 (contd.)
• Currently, the state spends about $10,000 per child, so the voucher
will be about $6,000.
• Eligible Students
• those entering Kindergarten or 1st Grade.
• students coming from one full year of ISD school.
• any student currently in the program.
• Protection of Private Schools (good)
• Private Schools may not be required to comply with any state law
that was not in effect on January 1, 2015.

23. Details of SB276 (contd.)
• Students currently in private school don’t get a voucher.
• Why? Without this condition the state may not save
money. Remember the focus on the bill is
to save the state money.
• But since 1st graders can enter and stay in the program,
in 12 years vouchers are available to all K-12
students. A gradual inclusion of all.
• For more info visit taxpayersavingsgrants.org

24. My Christian Motivation
• God and the Bible have been “excommunicated”
from our ISD schools.
• Parents (and the family) are dishonored by stealing
from them the parental authority to choose the
educational environment for their children.
• I have no right to criticize another parent’s choice of
schools. But I do have an obligation to maximize
the choices that they can choose from.