Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have been pushing voucher legislation hard this year. Texas is one of the few red states that has not adopted voucher legislation for religious and private school tuition. The big stumbling block in the past has been a sturdy coalition of urban Democrats and rural Republicans.
Writing for ReformAustin, Jovanka Palacios explains here what Governor Abbott does not understand about rural schools.
Gov. Greg Abbott believes that touring rural areas where Republican members of the Texas House or Senate are against vouchers is enough to get them and their constituents on board with the “school choice” idea. But he seems to be overlooking one small detail: “rural public schools are the lifeblood of their communities.”
Keith Bryant, Superintendent of Schools in Lubbock-Cooper ISD, illustrates the effect of a voucher program in rural public schools best:
“They are unifiers, gathering places, and information providers. Many times they are the largest employers in their communities, and, often, school events are the largest draw of visitors to their towns. Disruptions to funding for rural schools are disruptions to the fabric of life in rural communities.”
In a state where the money follows the child, students dropping out of public schools would inevitably affect – an already scarce – budget. Those who oppose a “school choice” program argue that the Legislature should focus on increasing public school education funding, instead of diverting those dollars into a system that holds no accountability.
School funding isn’t that complex, Bryant told RA News, who explains school funding as a pie that everyone in public schools in Texas is sharing.
“Every public school in Texas is sharing this pie. If someone takes a slice out of the pie to fund vouchers for private schools or homeschooling, there is less pie remaining for Texas public schools.”
Open up the link at the Network for Public Education blog, where you will see the article as well as a link to the original.
Consider subscribing to the Network for Public Education blog, which is able to cover many more stories about education across the nation than I do. The blog is curated by the wonderful Peter Greene, who has an eye for great stories.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Most of Abbott’s support base are MAGA RINO voters. He is an autocrat serving his base in the Traitor Trump style. He doesn’t’ care about Texas, the people that live there or the children. Abbott is a smaller, quieter version of DeSantis
Rural public schools in Texas are the social glue that holds the community together. They are a common bond that is available to all that reside there. There is so much Gov. Abbott does not understand about education. Even though the man has a bachelor’s degree in business and a law degree, Abbott remains oblivious to the value of the common good.
Contrary to all the lies told about public schools, they are literally an open book where residents can attend meetings, review budgets and curricula and voice their opinion. They are accountable to those that pay their taxes. Public schools are public assets that belong to the community. Charter and vouchers schools receive public funds, but bear no responsibility to the members of the community. The unaccountable funds can end up in the pockets of the unscrupulous. With all the scandals in the charter industry more than a billion dollars have been wasted by profiteers and grifters. In a private educational setting parents and those that pay for the instruction may have little to no say in curricula or content, and the students have fewer rights and protections under the law.
Rural schools are indeed the lifeblood of their community. Their teaching staff is usually conservative, often local, often very stable. I know this because I taught in one for 34 years in the community where I was raised up.
This is why it is a mystery to me why Abbot wants to mess with a system that served him well. One of the reasons the Republican domination of rural votes exists is the rural school. The teachers are often very conservative and push hard to indoctrinate their students into that vision. So why would any reasonable politician try to mess up his base? And why on earth should any rural teacher vote conservative?
I must confess that teachers who shared my political views were a small fraternity for most of my career. Moreover, the teachers who were the most effective did share my views, and walked very softly lest they alienate the majority of students and parents.
“The teachers are often very conservative and push hard to indoctrinate their students into that vision.
If by conservative you mean xtian fundie, then I can agree with you. I know that has been my experience in rural small town teaching.
Pretty much
I just had a note from a friend in Texas. Governor Abbott is offering a bribe to rural Republicans. He says he will replace any money their schools because of kids taking vouchers. Can he buy their votes? Can they count on the money in the future? What happens to the Friday night football game? The debate team? The school play?
“Moreover, the teachers who were the most effective did share my views, and walked very softly lest they alienate the majority of students and parents.”
Yep!