What’s a Bigger Threat to Texas Public Ed: Private School Vouchers or Charter Schools?

Democrats Allison Bush and Stephanie Bazan, competitors in the May 26 runoff election to represent District 5 and Travis County on the Texas State Board of Education, agree on most things – but not all – when it comes to shaping our state’s education system.

When asked about the most pressing problems facing Texas public schools right now, Bazan said it’s private school vouchers. Bush argued it’s charter schools. And at a moment when Austin ISD faces a growing budget deficit and school closures, which presents the bigger strain on neighborhood public schools has come to the forefront of the runoff.

More than 500 Austin-area students have been awarded private school vouchers, the Statesman reported March 5, a program that costs the state $1 billion in its first school year. 

But Austin ISD is also losing money to charter schools. Maggie Stern of Our Schools Our Democracy told the Chronicle they estimate that the district lost $148 million from students transferring to charter schools in the 2024-2025 school year alone.

“That’s obviously a pretty large number in a district that is talking about budget cuts and already voted to close campuses,” Stern continued. “That revenue loss has real consequences for the vast majority of Texas families who continue to choose their local public school.”

Allison Bush

Bazan and Bush emerged from a crowded Democratic primary to represent six Austin-area counties on the SBOE, the Republican-majority board that approves public school curriculum standards and textbooks, manages how the state’s large Permanent School Fund is used, and approves new charter school systems – privately funded public schools like Austin-area IDEA and KIPP meant to diversify public education options.

In March, Bush pulled ahead with about 36% of the vote – over 83,000 votes – while Bazan earned about 49,500, 21% of the vote. The winner of this month’s runoff will face Republican Mica Arellano in November.

And while the SBOE is often a branch of state government that flies under the radar, it incited statewide protests last month. In early April, members advanced a controversial draft of the state’s curriculum standards for social studies that centers Texas’ and Christianity’s role within national and world history, and a literary works list that includes references to the Bible.

Both Bush and Bazan expressed deep concern to the Chronicle about what the SBOE has accomplished this month.

“They’re moving away from historically accurate curriculum, fact-based instruction, and our students deserve to learn the full, honest story of our country,” Bush said. “This isn’t about a political push. This is 100% about what’s best for kids, and they need to remember that.”

Bazan said she firmly believes that the state curriculum should be unbiased and contain multiple perspectives. “Folks on the board are saying, ‘This is not the Bible being told as religion. It’s the Bible being told as history.’ And it’s just a PR spin to continue to destroy our public education system with Christian nationalism, and I won’t stand for that,” Bazan added.

Stephanie Bazan

Bazan, executive director of the youth nonprofit Generation SERVE and chair of the Austin Parks and Recreation Board, and Bush, a city and school district bond election coordinator for a construction company, are both former educators. Bazan was adjunct faculty at St. Edward’s University and Bush has served in multiple public Texas school districts, as well as the charter school American YouthWorks.

Bush obtained the endorsement of the Texas AFL-CIO and University Democrats, to name a few, plus five AISD trustees and outgoing incumbent Rebecca Bell-Metereau. Bazan is endorsed by Austin Tejano Democrats, state Rep. Sheryl Cole, Austin Mayor Pro Tem Chito Vela, and Travis County’s Celia Israel, among others.

Though Bush has more endorsements, Bazan has heavily outraised her, garnering close to $100,000 in contributions with Bush raising just over $18,000. Notably, Bazan’s top three donors, which have collectively contributed about $76,200 of the total, are relevant to the SBOE’s duties to approve new charter schools based on their previous donations.

Legacy 44, which contributed nearly $43,000 to Bazan’s campaign, is partly backed by the Walmart-founding Walton family which supplies grants for charter school expansion. Lorraine Clasquin contributed $20,000 after donating $16 million through her KLE Foundation to expand the IDEA charter school network in Austin in 2016. The Charter Schools Now PAC, which donated $13,000 to Bazan, works to protect charter education at the SBOE and state Legislature.

“It costs a lot to be on the campaign trail, and I started with friends and family first,” Bazan told the Chronicle. “No matter what you feel about a particular portion of the public education system, that is part of the job. It is your duty as an [SBOE] member to review charter applications that are brought to you, and I take that responsibility seriously.”

Bush’s top donor, contributing $10,000, is chairman of the construction company where Bush is employed. Bush knows she’s working with less funding, and said she’s relying on in-person conversations ahead of the runoff – rather than lawn signs – to win the seat. “I am the only one that has been in the classroom, has been an administrator, has run school budgets, has developed policies, and has written curriculum,” she said. “I’ve been from top to bottom.”

Bazan emphasized her experiences on public-facing boards have given her skills that would transfer to working with a Republican-majority SBOE. “I have practice in finding out what’s at the root of someone’s decision making, and I’m working with them outside of meeting time,” Bazan continued.

While the two candidates diverge on how much charter schools detract from or complement neighborhood public schools, at a moment when public school districts across the state are facing state takeover and high-stakes standardized testing, both agreed the SBOE needs to step in. “We need a grownup in the room making good decisions,” Bush concluded.

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