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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz makes case for ‘school choice’ at Texas Capitol in Austin

Senator Ted Cruz spoke to hundreds of 'school choice' advocates from across the state during a rally at the Texas State Capitol.

AUSTIN, Texas — Hundreds of Texans gathered at the south steps of the Texas Capitol Wednesday morning to rally for "school choice" -- including U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R). 

The rally was led by EdChoice and multiple education organizations and agencies as part of the 9th annual "School Choice Week." 

According to EdChoice, the concept of "school choice" allows public education funds to follow students to whatever school or service best fits their needs, whether that's to a public, private, charter, home school or online education.

"If we’re fighting for anything, we should be fighting for the children of Texas," Sen. Cruz said to the crowd.

"The rich and the middle class have had school choice from the dawn of time," he added. "Those with lots of money have had the opportunity to choose the educational options for their kids. School choice is about ensuring every child has that option, regardless if Mom and Dad have a bunch of money in the bank or not." 

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While some state lawmakers joined Cruz on stage, the two men who rallied for the cause last session didn't: Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.

"Texas voters sent a strong message this past November that this is not what they want," Mark Wiggins, who works in Governmental Relations for the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE), said.

The ATPE, along with other teacher professional groups, oppose the idea.

"We need to be serving all five and a half million school children across Texas. And we don't do that by giving folks a coupon for a dollar off a private school that's across town. We do that by fixing the public schools that are in our neighborhood and making sure that they have the resources to operate at the highest level that they can operate at and ensure that every single kid gets the resources to get the quality education that they deserve," Wiggins said. 

During the 2017 regular and special sessions, the Senate passed bills to offer education savings accounts -- which opponents called "vouchers" -- to children with disabilities as a form of "school choice." Those bills died in the House, where both Democrats and rural Republicans oppose the idea. 

And with no "school choice" bills filed so far this session, it seems there isn't as much of an appetite for the legislation among lawmakers. But, it's important to remember, it's still early in the session. And just this week, Lt. Gov. Patrick told reporters he'd still like to see a bill passed. 

"Not every school is equipped and has the teachers to deal with certain disabilities," Lt. Gov. Patrick said. "So, at a minimum, a parent with a child with a disability who can't afford a private option shouldn't be locked into a school that can't help them."

Still, Wiggins and others argue Texas parents already have school choice.

"The public school system has choice. We have charter schools, we have in-district transfers. Parents have lots of options about where to send our kids. What we're talking about are specifically taxpayer funded subsidies for private school vouchers," Wiggins said. 

Lawmakers have until March 8 to file bills.

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