I don't believe any accreditation is required for coops, as they are essentially cooperation between homeschooling families and homeschooling has no requirements here except maybe days of instruction. I'm not clear on that as I don't have to submit anything to the state.

I can't speak to private school mandates.

I can say the main mechanism for quality control is parental oversight. It's made things competitive for what subjects are taught and by whom. If you don't show results, you lose students.

If that doesn't help, I'll try to find specific answers.

Howdy, it is me! said:

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cevans_40 said:

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Dark_Knight said:

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I just thought it was going to allow students to do private, switch districts, or better able to home school. Like the money would move with you depending on your choice. I'm not sure why that's a hard concept to put to a bill. If my student isn't going to public school, then my school tax should come back to me. They wouldn't be a burden to the district, so there's really no money lost.

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Yeah but how much money and who is gonna insure you are actually teaching the kid anything and not.just pocketing the money and creating an even bigger burden on society.

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These bills do not allow for the ability to pocket the money. It goes straight from the comptroller to the vendor.

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Then definitely a bad bill. I want it back to the people.

Dark_Knight said:

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Howdy, it is me! said:

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cevans_40 said:

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Dark_Knight said:

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I just thought it was going to allow students to do private, switch districts, or better able to home school. Like the money would move with you depending on your choice. I'm not sure why that's a hard concept to put to a bill. If my student isn't going to public school, then my school tax should come back to me. They wouldn't be a burden to the district, so there's really no money lost.

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Yeah but how much money and who is gonna insure you are actually teaching the kid anything and not.just pocketing the money and creating an even bigger burden on society.

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These bills do not allow for the ability to pocket the money. It goes straight from the comptroller to the vendor.

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Then definitely a bad bill. I want it back to the people.

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Well, you have until Thursday morning to call/email as many Reps as you can!

MasonB said:

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I don't believe any accreditation is required for coops, as they are essentially cooperation between homeschooling families and homeschooling has no requirements here except maybe days of instruction. I'm not clear on that as I don't have to submit anything to the state.

I can't speak to private school mandates.

I can say the main mechanism for quality control is parental oversight. It's made things competitive for what subjects are taught and by whom. If you don't show results, you lose students.

If that doesn't help, I'll try to find specific answers.

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Our methods for "quality control" are being pre-approved (for vendors)/accredited (for private schools), administration of norm/referenced tests, not allowing tuition increases for voucher students, not giving the money to the parents but sending it straight to the vendors, creating more bureaucracy and government employees…

We don't get money directly. It's a tax credit (state income tax).

No testing requirements, thank goodness.

We had one state rep who tried to push a bill requiring testing and he got whacked pretty hard about it.

If it ever did pass, my family would opt out of the credit. It's not worth it.

MasonB said:

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We don't get money directly. It's a tax credit (state income tax).

No testing requirements, thank goodness.

We had one state rep who tried to push a bill requiring testing and he got whacked pretty hard about it.

If it ever did pass, my family would opt out of the credit. It's not worth it.

I think everyone would be on board in Texas if it was a tax credit.

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MasonB said:

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We don't get money directly. It's a tax credit (state income tax).

No testing requirements, thank goodness.

We had one state rep who tried to push a bill requiring testing and he got whacked pretty hard about it.

If it ever did pass, my family would opt out of the credit. It's not worth it.

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ISD tax credits for most Texas taxes would be <$4K annually and wouldn't do squat. That is why they want that $10k handout per kid.

You guys have made me curious.

Homeschool credit here is $1,000/year and requires receipts for qualified expenses (tuition, fees, tutoring, textbooks, curriculum, etc).

Private school credit is from $5,000 to $7,500 and based on income. Private schools have to be accredited and apply to participate.

All of those figures are per child. Tax credits are capped at 250 million per year.

Schrute Farms said:

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Conservatives/Libertarians oppose it because it introduces government control to private schools. State funding, like vouchers, are a direct way to tie gov preferences to the private sector.

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And yet none of those making the Paranoia Play can point to anything in the 29 States that have implemented some form of school choice.

If you are that paranoid, simply don't participate in the voucher program. It's that simple.

MasonB said:

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You guys have made me curious.

Homeschool credit here is $1,000/year and requires receipts for qualified expenses (tuition, fees, tutoring, textbooks, curriculum, etc).

Private school credit is from $5,000 to $7,500 and based on income. Private schools have to be accredited and apply to participate.

All of those figures are per child. Tax credits are capped at 250 million per year.

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Saying all this with the caveat that last night they updated the Senate bill and I haven't had a chance to review it yet.

The proposed bills give $1 or $2k per child for homeschoolers for pre-approved vendors; maybe an assessment, maybe not, depends on the bill. Money goes straight from the comptroller to the vendor.

Again, depending on the bill, it's around $10k per child for accredited private school enrollment. There is more given for students with disabilities ($11.5 to $30k). Money goes straight from the comptroller to the vendors and school.

Depending on the bill, participants are selected in different ways, such as being at 500% of the FPL or lower thresholds, up to anyone being able to apply.

The first year has a budget of $1B serving around 100k students (out of over 6M school-aged children) with administration costs coming out of the budget. The budget is expected to grow to almost 5B by 2030.

DD88 said:

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Schrute Farms said:

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Conservatives/Libertarians oppose it because it introduces government control to private schools. State funding, like vouchers, are a direct way to tie gov preferences to the private sector.

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And yet none of those making the Paranoia Play can point to anything in the 29 States that have implemented some form of school choice.

If you are that paranoid, simply don't participate in the voucher program. It's that simple.

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What private market has been entered by the government and been not seen prices rise? It certainly did in the college market. The health insurance market. And on and on.

I read the whole thread (mostly) and didn't see anything about property value changes caused by vouchers. It seems like the areas with either good public schools or high concentration of private schools will see an increase in their property value while the opposite will happen in areas with poor schools creating an even bigger gap between the haves and have nots.

Similarly I expect there to be areas where a sufficient percentage of parents opt to go private/charter or outside public school. Without that tax revenue the schools will decline along with the property value.

Maybe I'm off on my thinking here, so correct me if I'm not understanding the voucher program fully.

My kids go private because HISD sucks. There are HISD teachers that send their kids to the same private school. Our school is funded 85% by tuition and the rest is raised during the year. The school also offers scholarships based on need, performance, and availability. In addition the school partners with a bank for educational loans. All of this to try and make private education a possibility for those parents that want that experience. It also has created a well rounded and diverse community and not just a bunch of rich white Karens with three spoiled kids.

The scholarship and loan kids I can see being in favor of voucher and I feel the school would not raise tuition because of it. My worry is what it means for a private school to accept public money.

Tom Fox said:

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DD88 said:

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Schrute Farms said:

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Conservatives/Libertarians oppose it because it introduces government control to private schools. State funding, like vouchers, are a direct way to tie gov preferences to the private sector.

---

And yet none of those making the Paranoia Play can point to anything in the 29 States that have implemented some form of school choice.

If you are that paranoid, simply don't participate in the voucher program. It's that simple.

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What private market has been entered by the government and been not seen prices rise? It certainly did in the college market. The health insurance market. And on and on.

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Does School Choice Affect Private School Tuition?

Quote:

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"Analysis of 10 years of private school tuition finds that states with school choice policies have lower rates of tuition increases than states without such policies."

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DD88 said:

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Tom Fox said:

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DD88 said:

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Schrute Farms said:

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Conservatives/Libertarians oppose it because it introduces government control to private schools. State funding, like vouchers, are a direct way to tie gov preferences to the private sector.

---

And yet none of those making the Paranoia Play can point to anything in the 29 States that have implemented some form of school choice.

If you are that paranoid, simply don't participate in the voucher program. It's that simple.

---

What private market has been entered by the government and been not seen prices rise? It certainly did in the college market. The health insurance market. And on and on.

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Does School Choice Affect Private School Tuition?

Quote:

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"Analysis of 10 years of private school tuition finds that states with school choice policies have lower rates of tuition increases than states without such policies."

---

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I do not know if it will in Texas or not and neither do you? It might not statewide but might in my local market. I see no real advantage in passing the current bills and taking that risk.

sam callahan said:

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Quote:

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who is gonna insure you are actually teaching the kid anything and not.just pocketing the money and creating an even bigger burden on society.

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Who is safeguarding the public schools from kids not learning and the siphoning of public money into private hands now? Because they are failing.

This whole "sorry, kid, we can't give you the freedom to thrive because others might fail at it" is confounding to me.

Do you think we should only have government grocery stores and restaurants because some parents are going to make bad choices for their kids?

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I think if you rely on the government to fund your groceries, then yes, you should have to buy from a government grocery store that offers specific goods. Doesn't seem that difficult to me.

Howdy, it is me! said:

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cevans_40 said:

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Dark_Knight said:

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I just thought it was going to allow students to do private, switch districts, or better able to home school. Like the money would move with you depending on your choice. I'm not sure why that's a hard concept to put to a bill. If my student isn't going to public school, then my school tax should come back to me. They wouldn't be a burden to the district, so there's really no money lost.

---

Yeah but how much money and who is gonna insure you are actually teaching the kid anything and not.just pocketing the money and creating an even bigger burden on society.

---

These bills do not allow for the ability to pocket the money. It goes straight from the comptroller to the vendor.

---

Oh I'm fully aware of that. That's why my wife and I will be opening a school that teaches jack **** to kids and insures they will get their diploma no matter what. Turns out, I have a waiting list.

cevans_40 said:

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Howdy, it is me! said:

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cevans_40 said:

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Dark_Knight said:

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I just thought it was going to allow students to do private, switch districts, or better able to home school. Like the money would move with you depending on your choice. I'm not sure why that's a hard concept to put to a bill. If my student isn't going to public school, then my school tax should come back to me. They wouldn't be a burden to the district, so there's really no money lost.

---

Yeah but how much money and who is gonna insure you are actually teaching the kid anything and not.just pocketing the money and creating an even bigger burden on society.

---

These bills do not allow for the ability to pocket the money. It goes straight from the comptroller to the vendor.

---

Oh I'm fully aware of that. That's why my wife and I will be opening a school that teaches jack **** to kids and insures they will get their diploma no matter what. Turns out, I have a waiting list.

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Good luck in the accreditation process.

SB2 has been voted out of the House Pub Ed committee - next stop: House floor.

Call your Reps! Just need a few unexpected, brave souls to vote "No".

But what does it look like? Isn't it much different than the SB two that was passed out of the Senate? It isn't it different than the house bill that was testified upon a couple of weeks ago?

oldag941 said:

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But what does it look like? Isn't it much different than the SB two that was passed out of the Senate? It isn't it different than the house bill that was testified upon a couple of weeks ago?

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This was a substitution bill for SB2, yes; not many changes.

https://www.house.texas.gov/pdfs/committees/400/Proposed-SB-2-Committee-Substitue-Summary.pdf

No, it's not much different from HB3 that was wildly opposed for hours on end in public hearing.

Howdy, it is me! said:

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SB2 has been voted out of the House Pub Ed committee - next stop: House floor.

Call your Reps! Just need a few unexpected, brave souls to vote "No".

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Vote yes. This is step one to vouchers for everyone.

Vote no. It is just another entitlement.

It is $1 billion for 100,000 students. There are over 3.5 million students. No way vouchers ever get too big. It would bankrupt the state

Logos Stick said:

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Howdy, it is me! said:

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SB2 has been voted out of the House Pub Ed committee - next stop: House floor.

Call your Reps! Just need a few unexpected, brave souls to vote "No".

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Vote yes. This is step one to vouchers for everyone.

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We don't need vouchers, we need tax reform.

PGAG said:

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It is $1 billion for 100,000 students. There are over 3.5 million students. No way vouchers ever get too big. It would bankrupt the state

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There are actually over 6M school-aged children in Texas…yikes.

Howdy, it is me! said:

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Logos Stick said:

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Howdy, it is me! said:

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SB2 has been voted out of the House Pub Ed committee - next stop: House floor.

Call your Reps! Just need a few unexpected, brave souls to vote "No".

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Vote yes. This is step one to vouchers for everyone.

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We don't need vouchers, we need tax reform.

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We need to kill the failed public school system.

As a homeschooler, I adamantly oppose this bill. There are way too many strings attached and it threatens homeschooling in general. It basically redefines homeschooling. Sadly, I tuck it will pass so 'conservatives' can bring home an accomplishment. Also, it's unlikely to be used as a Rule 44 violation for censure, as school choice is an RPT priority. Keep fighting, but realistically, I see it passing.

SociallyConditionedAg said:

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As a homeschooler, I adamantly oppose this bill. There are way too many strings attached and it threatens homeschooling in general. It basically redefines homeschooling. Sadly, I tuck it will pass so 'conservatives' can bring home an accomplishment. Also, it's unlikely to be used as a Rule 44 violation for censure, as school choice is an RPT priority. Keep fighting, but realistically, I see it passing.

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Don't lose hope yet! We just need a handful of Republicans to be brave and vote "No"

In all honesty, something has to pass so that public schools can be funded. Abbot and Dirty Dan will allow nothing else to happen if they don't get their pet project.

I'm hopeful for a huge increase for teachers and elimination of the absolutely worthless STAAR exam.

Btw: I will be voting against Abbot even if I have to vote democrat for the first time in my life.

Logos Stick said:

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Howdy, it is me! said:

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Logos Stick said:

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Howdy, it is me! said:

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SB2 has been voted out of the House Pub Ed committee - next stop: House floor.

Call your Reps! Just need a few unexpected, brave souls to vote "No".

---

Vote yes. This is step one to vouchers for everyone.

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We don't need vouchers, we need tax reform.

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We need to kill the failed public school system.

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Agreed. Kill it. Just don't handout vouchers.

PGAG said:

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It is $1 billion for 100,000 students. There are over 3.5 million students. No way vouchers ever get too big. It would bankrupt the state

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Compared to over $100 billion for public schools?

Parents should determine the best educational choice for their children and the funding should follow their choice.

SB2 is just an introductory bill and won't be perfect, but it is a start. Adjustments will be made in future years.

The only adjustments will be rising costs. It will likely pass. It's not a good bill. Zero accountability for the dollars spent

DD88 said:

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PGAG said:

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It is $1 billion for 100,000 students. There are over 3.5 million students. No way vouchers ever get too big. It would bankrupt the state

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Compared to over $100 billion for public schools?

Parents should determine the best educational choice for their children and the funding should follow their choice.

SB2 is just an introductory bill and won't be perfect, but it is a start. Adjustments will be made in future years.

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Problem with SB2 is that it's not the educational funding that's following the student but the Surplus/General Fund.

Howdy, it is me! said:

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cevans_40 said:

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Howdy, it is me! said:

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cevans_40 said:

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Dark_Knight said:

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I just thought it was going to allow students to do private, switch districts, or better able to home school. Like the money would move with you depending on your choice. I'm not sure why that's a hard concept to put to a bill. If my student isn't going to public school, then my school tax should come back to me. They wouldn't be a burden to the district, so there's really no money lost.

---

Yeah but how much money and who is gonna insure you are actually teaching the kid anything and not.just pocketing the money and creating an even bigger burden on society.

---

These bills do not allow for the ability to pocket the money. It goes straight from the comptroller to the vendor.

---

Oh I'm fully aware of that. That's why my wife and I will be opening a school that teaches jack **** to kids and insures they will get their diploma no matter what. Turns out, I have a waiting list.

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Good luck in the accreditation process.

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Oh, so who's gonna establish the guidelines for the accreditation process?