School funding requires a basic math approach

No magic math, please As a retired CPA reading about the upcoming special legislative session regarding private school vouchers, I’m reminded of a fundamental accounting principle: every financial transaction has equal and opposite effects in at least two different accounts.

In other words, if you’re adding money to one account, it must be subtracted from another.

Amounts paid by Texas to support private education will reduce the funding available to public education.

In the USA we have freedom of religion, but we also have separation of church and state; public dollars should remain in public schools.

The diversion of public education funds to private schools weakens the public education system.

Private schools also lack transparency and accountability.

Texas needs to invest in public education, the only system with the capacity to serve the large and diverse student population of Texas.