Alamo Heights ISD, a small affluent district northeast of downtown San Antonio, appears to be firmly against giving poor kids trapped in failing schools a way out.
In a newly published letter, the school board makes a number of searing charges against Education Savings Accounts—a tool that allows parents to pay for tuition at any accredited school as well as for tutoring, books, transportation, and other qualified expenses—including that ESAs “undermine[s] taxpayer accountability.” While mouthing support for taxpayers, it’s worth noting that the district’s property tax levy increased almost 30% from 2018 to 2022 even while its student enrollment declined over the same period.
But the letter raises fresh questions about what lobbying activities, if any, school districts should be allowed to engage using taxpayer resources and whether the state’s ISD electioneering laws need to be updated to better protect against the weaponization of public money to push a progressive agenda.
What do you think?
