Generally speaking, I don’t involve myself in politics.
I do, however, involve myself in Texas high school football. It’s among my favorite things, and something I’ve devoted a not-insubstantial part of my life toward, and I won’t apologize for that. I like sports and I don’t care who knows. And while your mileage may vary, I like to think of myself as a relative expert in the field.
But sometimes politics comes crashing into my scene, and politics becomes a football issue. If someone lets loose a hog onto a football field on Friday night, my thoughts are tied up in what it means for the two teams, not animal husbandry.
This is such a moment — politics has invaded our Texas high school football space. The hog is at midfield.
On February 5, the Texas Senate approved Senate Bill 2. The bill would create a voucher program (or educational savings account program, if you prefer) wherein families can access up to $11,500 of taxpayer money for use at private schools and other educational expenses. The bill now heads to the Texas House of Representatives in the form of House Bill 3, filed on Thursday by Rep. Brad Buckley out of Killeen; if approved there, it’d head to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk for his signature.
The bill is the latest attempt by Gov. Abbott to make school vouchers a reality in Texas. It is among the governor’s top legislative priorities — similar measures have failed in the past.
Proponents of school vouchers say it gives parents educational freedom. Opponents of school vouchers say it takes money away from already underfunded public schools.
That’s the politics. Here’s the football:
The school voucher program could do real harm to Texas high school football.
I don’t mean to sound alarmist, but there’s no other way to put it.
In Texas, public schools are funded through taxpayer dollars on a per-student basis. So, for Laredo United High School — enrollment: 3,591 students — United ISD gets 3,591 students worth of money from the state (currently about $6,000 per student); for Nocona High School — enrollment: 234 students — Nocona ISD gets 234 allotments. The remainder of the cost is covered by local taxes, specifically property taxes.
The school voucher program would have a profound, substantive effect on public schools across the state, both for schools that lose students and schools that don’t. And that effect would almost certainly hit Texas high school football programs.
The first part is easy to explain — students who have the means would be incentivized to leave public schools for private schools, bringing taxpayer money with them. That would result in a decrease in public school enrollment, which would mean less funding for public schools.
Not every school would lose students to private schools with the new voucher program — after all, of the 254 counties in Texas, more than half of them do not have an accredited private school within their borders. But with the overall pot of state funds being diluted to cover private and homeschooling expenses of students elsewhere, you can see how every public school district in Texas would receive less per-student funding.
Voucher proponents say that the plan would not impact the per-student funding — at least not in the short term, thanks in large part to the state’s current budget surplus. But education is often the first thing on the chopping block come deficit time — see: 2011, when the state cut $5 billion from schools — and in a new normal where private schools and homeschools now get their cut of education dollars, there’s little doubt that public schools would see their balance sheets shrink.
With shrinking budgets, public school districts would almost certainly cut back on funding for extracurricular activities, like athletics. The short version: there would be fewer resources for Texas high school football programs. Fewer coaches, less equipment, an overall downgrade in the nuts and bolts that make a Texas high school football program go.
That’s the monetary side of it — Texas high school football programs would not have as much money to operate. I’m not alone in this opinion — the Texas High School Coaches Association is opposed to the voucher legislation as well due to the budget restrictions that it would create.
But I would contend that additional harm that the voucher program would do to Texas high school football has little to do with dollars and cents.
When I’m asked what makes Texas high school football special, what sets it apart from other states, I don’t talk about the outstanding level of play (though it is) or the excellent coaching (though it is) or the remarkable facilities (though they are). No, in my mind, what makes Texas high school football special is the sense of community — neighbors rallying together around a common cause on a Friday night, cheering on their kids from their school in their town. The magic of Texas high school football is in all the things around the field on a Friday night, in addition to the excellence on it.
The voucher program — which would inherently incentivize some students to leave public schools — threatens to splinter those communities, further dividing them into haves and have-nots. The magic of Friday night lights would be dimmed, because suddenly, we’re not all on the same team anymore.
When discussing this topic, it’s critical to mention that private school football in Texas is strong, vibrant, and deeply meaningful to its communities. Leagues like TAPPS, SPC, and T-CAL have produced outstanding teams, incredible players, and a unique brand of football that deserves recognition. The commitment, passion, and tradition in private school football are undeniable, and it plays an important role in the overall Texas football landscape.
In my view, the fabric of Texas high school football — what makes it truly different and special and the envy of the entire nation — is built on a strong public school football foundation, with private school football playing a vital and complementary role in the overall landscape. Both matter, but the scale and structure of public school football make it essential to preserving what makes Texas football unique, where communities meet on a Friday night to support their team and their town. Vouchers would harm that.
We all want what is best for our kids. I want my sons to grow up loving Texas high school football like I do. Should the proposed voucher program become law, I worry that won’t be possible.