I have dear sisters and brothers in Christ who choose to send their children to public schools, while others homeschool and still others choose charter schools. As a private school administrator, I believe strongly in the value of the education provided by our Christian school and other private schools around Texas and the nation. I began my career in education in 1994 as a Christian school teacher but then worked for over seven years for a charter school district of four campuses before joining the faculty of OCS in the fall of 2013. I have known brilliant educators from every type of school. My experiences with thousands of students have convinced me that no one type of school can meet the needs of all children or families. Biblically, parents are responsible for the education of their children, so for Christian families, parents must prayerfully consider which school can best assist them in the education of their children.
Texas, with its limited restrictions on parents’ rights, is a great place to raise children. Texas grants charters for alternative schools, yet Texas is not one of the over thirty states to provide some form of financial option to make school choice available for all parents. I am sure you have heard about the ongoing school choice debate happening in our state legislature. Unfortunately, popular media and many individuals and groups with large platforms have falsely presented this debate as another “us vs. them” narrative. This discussion is not about public versus private education. We all need excellence in public education as that system is responsible for the development of the greatest number of students. Tax money should, in my opinion, support all Texas students as their parents seek the best possible education for them.
The Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 1 on October 12. This bill would establish education savings accounts (ESAs) that would allow families access to funds for private school tuition and other educational expenses. This money would be administered by the state comptroller’s office and use funds from the general revenue fund to pay for the program. Participating private schools must be accredited and administer a norm-referenced test to any student who received ESA funds. On October 19, the Texas House filed House Bill 1—their own, more limited version of education savings accounts. They included some public school finance and teacher compensation elements, but they need action from Governor Abbott to move forward with those elements as they are not part of the call of this special session. If the Governor does open up the call for them, this bill may be heard in committee. After the committee hearing, the bill would go to the House floor for a vote. If it passes, then HB1 and SB1 will go to a conference committee to resolve differences between the bills before the final form is sent to the Governor to sign.
The current plans have tax dollars going to the students and not directly to the private school of their choice. Private schools have layers of accountability—including annual tuition commitments—that would not change. Admissions and other policies are not expected to change for any accredited private school that chooses to participate in the program. The only loss to public schools is that they are funded by attendance, so if a student withdraws from a public school to go to a charter, private, or home school, they are not funded for that student.
Below are a few links for more information about the ongoing situation of school choice in Texas:
School Choice page of the Texas Private Schools Association (scroll to the bottom for excellent resources)
Who Represents Me? resource
We do not know if OCS will participate in the program that comes out of the ongoing school choice process. It depends on the final form of the program. We will make certain that participation does not come with unacceptable strings or entangle us down the road in policies in opposition to our values and mission. We will not compromise our autonomy and commitment to Christian education. We will protect our mission, vision, values, and philosophy. If we can participate, this could help strong Christian parents who desire biblical worldview education for their children potentially be able to afford our school. OCS should be an option for like-minded families who want to partner with us.
—Penny Hayes M.Ed.
Head of School
