SAN MARCOS CISD
The $1 billion school choice bill nears approval and an $8 billion public school funding bill moves to the senate for further consideration.
If passed and signed into law, these bills will impact all Texas Public schools including San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District, which at the beginning of the school year predicted a $15 million deficit.
With both chambers of the Texas legislature in agreement on the school choice bill, Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s hard and long fought battle for school vouchers is closer than ever to finally coming to fruition.
With the expected passage of this session’s voucher program, Texas public schools may finally get some legislative budget relief as well. Last week the House and Senate passed HB2, an $8 billion public school funding bill to the Senate for further consideration. The Senate also has similar bills in consideration.
In 2023, Abbott withheld an increase of nearly $8 billion in public school funding because the House failed to pass a school choice bill that was one of his main priorities. Many school districts struggled without the increased funding. According to a survey by the Texas Association of School Business Officials, of 190 school districts, almost 63% of districts expect to end the year with a budget deficit.
Andrew Fernandez, SMCISD communication chief, said that district began the year at a $15 million budget deficit that officials consistently cut down when possible. Fernandez said the district has done this by focusing its spending on students and staff at the campus level while not filling positions without an immediate impact on the classroom. While the district can’t predict the legislation’s final budget, Fernandez said they are prepared to keep provid- ing the best education for its students possible no matter the outcome.
“We’re going to continue to hire high quality teachers to make sure students are receiving a great education,” Fernandez said. “We offer great opportunities to all of our students, whether that’s college or a certification in a trade, if they want to go into the military, if they want to join the workforce as soon as they graduate from San Marcos High School, we prepare them for that.”
Rolf Straubhaar, Texas State University Educational Leadership and Policy associate professor, said that while Texas schools will see some relief from a bill like HB2, the numbers still won’t put Texas ahead on its funds for public education. Straubhaar said this is because the basic allotment per student in the budget hasn’t changed in size since 2019 to account for variables that cause a need for a higher budget – like a larger number of students, inflation and, now, a voucher program.
“Until there is an increase in the basic allotment in the current budget bill that’s under consideration, something like the voucher bill represents an existential threat because it represents another cut to the budget,” Straubhaar said.
Straubhaar also said the billion that will be spent on vouchers will likely go to urban areas with more and larger private schools rather than rural areas. SMCISD is competing with fewer and smaller private schools but still faces the loss of funding that could have gone to a larger budget legislation.
“The biggest crunch that every district will feel is a loss in money,” Straubhaar said. “It’s especially tough right now because costs are growing in schools.”
While San Marcos has some private school options for the potential use of vouchers, Fernandez said that SMCISD already contains choices for parents and students in the district even with a budget deficit.
“We have seven elementary schools here in San Marcos, and every elementary school in this district is a little different,” Fernandez said. “Some campuses offer a dual language program, some that focus on computer science, some that offer personalized learning.”
Fernandez said this is a point the district continues to stress to families in the area through educational sessions and communication outreach.
“If you feel like you have a better opportunity for your student to be successful at another school within our district, we are an open district, so you can submit a transfer and go to the personalized learning school, to go to the dual language school, go to the open concept school at Rodriguez Elementary,” said Fernandez. “We want to do a good job of educating our families that there’s choice already in SMCISD.”
Senate Bill 2, which establishes a school voucher program, was passed by the House and Senate as of April 24 and now awaits the governor’s signature. House Bill 2, which includes $8 billion in funding for school districts in the state, was sent to the Senate on April 22 and is currently in front of the education committee.
