As debates over the Education Savings Accounts (ESA) continue in the Texas Legislature, some local parents are rejecting the proposed funding for homeschooling families.
Both the Texas House and Senate have introduced versions of the ESA legislation, which would provide $2,000 annually for each homeschool student. However, many parents are choosing to forgo the funding, arguing that it would come with unwanted government oversight.
“We already have school choice. Let’s keep it the way it is,” said Jacob Tucker, a homeschool parent from Levelland.
Homeschooling is a personal choice for many families in the area. For some, it was a decision they made from the start, while others, like the Holmes family from Lubbock, came to it later.
“I was homeschooled, and I didn’t want to homeschool because of that,” said Elisha Holmes. “It wasn’t that it was a bad experience, it was great, but I didn’t feel qualified.”
That was her view until several years ago when an incident at the private school her children attended changed her perspective. A student brought loaded guns to the school, prompting a police response. Holmes rushed to the school but was stopped by officers for safety reasons.
“That sparked something in me,” Holmes said. “I realized I can’t lose jurisdiction over my children. They’re my children, and that’s my God-given right.”
For many homeschooling families, like the Tuckers, the desire to maintain control over their children’s education is crucial. The Tuckers follow a Christian-based homeschooling program.
“A big part of it is teaching them to love the Lord and to be good people,” Tucker explained. “Could that happen in public school? Yes. But we decided this is how our house will run.”
Both the Tuckers and the Holmes families are concerned about the potential for government interference in homeschooling under the ESA proposal.
“Money always comes with strings attached,” Tucker said. “I think it will strip away a lot of freedoms and people don’t realize that.”
Holmes shares this concern, fearing that the funding could open the door for state influence over what is taught.
“I already have a choice, and I’m operating within that choice,” she said. “The problem is the government wants to dictate what our children learn, instead of allowing parents to teach them what they need to know.”
In response, State Representative Carl Tepper, who represents Lubbock, reassured constituents that such interference would not happen in Texas.
“I think it’s an unnecessary concern,” Tepper said. “In a state like Texas, it’s highly unlikely, almost zero percent, that we would interfere with your homeschooling curriculum.”
The Texas Homeschool Coalition, an advocacy group for homeschooling families, also reassures parents that it is working with lawmakers to protect families from potential state intrusion into their homeschooling decisions.
