CHARTING GREG ABBOTT'S CHARTER SCHOOL AFFINITY

As the campaign for governor churns into its final weeks, Greg Abbott has made a huge point of championing charter schools around the state. Charter schools are funded by the government but operated independently of the state. For conservatives in Texas, charter schools have been a crucial rallying cry under the guise of “school choice.”

School choice has been a major platform for the Texas GOP for years, but it has certainly escalated recently. Across the state, Abbott has pledged his support for a voucher program that would allow Texas students to attend private or charter schools.

For critics, the governor’s fealty to charter schools comes at the expense of public schools, a major target for Abbott. In the past few years, Abbott has blasted public schools over COVID-19 protocols, critical race theory curriculum (which is not taught in K-12 schools), and books that purport to have adult or pornographic material.

Under his tenure as governor, Abbott has also overseen a disastrous teacher shortage in public schools, exacerbated by the pandemic and his own demonization of teachers. But, when it comes to education in Texas, Abbott has nothing but love for charter schools.

Abbott declared May 8-14, 2022 “charter schools week.” In a statement he noted, “At this time, I encourage all Texans to learn more about charter schools and to support the dedicated educators working to innovate and improve our public school system.”


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