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On Wednesday, Texans woke up to the good news that the Texas House will likely have a majority of school choice supporters in its chamber next session. There is still a general election this fall to make it official, but, barring some unforeseen event, all of them are expected to win in November.
Victory has a thousand fathers, but in this case it’s more like thousands. Thousands of parents, students, educators, activists, volunteers, experts, pastors, lawmakers, and even a few think tankers organized like never before over the past two years to make parent empowerment and school choice a top policy issue for the state. And while the old guard maneuvered late last year to delay the inevitable, it seems it has fired its last best shot.
That’s not to say the architects of our current educational system who care more about control than they do student achievement are going to lay down. They didn’t build it over the past four decades just to hand it over to parents now. So, while this latest victory is a “political earthquake.” no policy has changed yet. And even if a policy change is likely, it doesn’t guarantee what that will be.
Governor Abbott has set the standard saying repeatedly that every Texas parent should have the right to choose the best education for their child. No exceptions. No carve outs. No limitations. Every Texas parent.
For those of us who worked hard to get here, we must realize the fight isn’t over. The next phase has just begun.