The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops has been one of the staunchest voucher supporters, arguing it would increase access to religious education regardless of income level.
As the Texas Legislature debates school vouchers, one of the staunchest supporters of the initiative has been the Catholic Church.’s top current legislative priority, which would allow parents to use taxpayer money for private education expenses. That’s true even as some other religious leaders have firmly opposed the legislation.
But, she added, Texas Catholic schools saw an uptick in enrollment among high-income families during the pandemic — which she said underscores the need for a voucher program to help low-income families afford religious education. Education savings accounts, the school voucher program being debated by the Legislature, would provide families with state money to help pay for private school tuition and other education expenses. SB1 would give families $8,000 annually, while HB1 would give them 75% of the average amount their public school receives in per-student funding.
“As a Baptist, I don’t believe in the infallibility of the Pope like my Catholic friends, nor do I believe in the veneration of marriage like my Catholic friends,” said Charles Johnson, a Baptist pastor and executive director of Pastors for Texas Children, which opposes vouchers. “I don’t want to pay for those two teachings in Catholic schools.”But Allmon said there is a long tradition in Texas of partnerships between the government and religious groups.
“If we’re allowed to continue operating as we do now, we wouldn’t just accept every kid anyway,” Goudeau said.Twenty years ago, church-state separation was the primary concern for religious leaders who oppose vouchers, said Bee Moorhead, executive director of Texas Impact, an interfaith advocacy group fighting vouchers.
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