Over the course of the last year, I have been asked several times about school vouchers and their impact on Hereford ISD.
In answering that question, it is best to start with what a school voucher is and how it differs from charter schools and already existing open enrollment policies. A school voucher is state funding that allows parents to cover tuition cost for families to send their kids to private or charter schools instead of sending their kids to public schools. Vouchers are different than other school choice policies because they allow parents to take state funding with their students to private schools which often have fewer regulations or accountability standards.
Public schools are funded through federal grants, and a combination of state and local taxes based on student attendance (not enrollment). So, attendance matters when it comes to receiving the full portion of state funding which is why the attendance rate has a huge impact on student funding. Vouchers are funded by allocations that are derived from state-level income and sales taxes. Our school funding will not be affected by vouchers unless a student from our public-school system actually applies for and are selected for a voucher. If a student uses a voucher and leaves Hereford ISD, then we will lose the funding for that student. Should this occur, it could result in a serious financial strain for school districts around the state.