Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said school choice won't take away funding from Texas high school football, but many coaches are skeptics.
Public school coaches in Texas worry about the negative impact education savings accounts would have on football and other sports.Texas State Govenor Greg Abbott flips the coin before Duncanville's game with Galena Park North Shore during the Class 6A Division I football state championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Dec 22, 2018.
He cited the success of high school football programs in Florida and Arizona, states that have education savings account programs that Abbott made a priority this legislative session.Florida and Arizona have the largest school choice programs and among the best high school football programs in the country.The governor stressed in his post that Texas, home to arguably the best high school football in the country, is one of the only Southeastern Conference states without school-choice options that would allow public dollars to flow to private schools. “Texas football is one of the best in the country because of equality. It’s important for our communities. It’s important to support from the school perspective,” Argyle football coach Todd Rodgers said Tuesday. “We’re cutting funds from the state of Texas. That impacts fine arts. That impacts career and technical education programs.”Advertisement The Texas Senate‘s plan would allow students to apply for ESAs with priority given to those who previously attended public school and are either from low-income households or have a disability.Under that proposal, the state would cover up to $10,000 for private school expenses or $2,000 for homeschooling. Additional help would be available to students with disabilities. The Texas House rolled out its version of an ESA plan last week. Joe Martin, executive director for the Texas High School Coaches Association, wrote in a Feb. 4 memo that Texas school districts are facing significant financial challenges“Contact your senator and voice your opposition to SB2 and express that meaningful increases for all public school students should be the first priority before approving costly private school subsidies,” Martin wroteDave Campbell’s Texas Football , the gold standard in preview magazines for Texas high school football, published a viral op-ed expressing opposition to the school-choice push.Some coaches worry ESAs could enable private schools to become the kings of high school sports in Texas. All 100 of the state’s top football recruits listed in 247Sports’ for the class of 2025 attended a public school. Locally, 93 ofIn Florida, which has a potent school-choice program, private schools have become a force in high school football. Florida private schools IMG Academy and St. Thomas Aquinas both finished in the top 25 of the year-end MaxPreps national rankings. Dallas-area public schools Duncanville and North Crowley both finished in the top 10 of the rankings, ahead of those Florida campuses. Some express concern that Texas could see similar dynamics if ESAs open the door for more students transferring for athletic purposes, Others have raised concerns over whether the plan could result in less funding for sports in rural or less-affluent districts, whichPublic school advocates say voucher-like programs would drain resources from campuses that educate more than 5 million children in Texas. Proponents of such options say families should receive state funding for educational settings that best meet their needs.Myah Taylor covers high school sports. She formerly worked as a Collin County reporter for The Dallas Morning News. Taylor has contributed to the Austin American-Statesman, Yahoo Sports, the Los Angeles Times and Texas Monthly. She is a 2022 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.
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