Sen. Dan Patrick (R) pushes school choice scholarships

Public school students could get help paying for private school under legislation filed Friday that is the cornerstone of a sweeping “school choice” agenda championed by state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston.

Senate Bill 23 would create an “opportunity scholarship” program funded through private donations from businesses that in turn would get state tax credits for their donations.

“Several hundred thousand students are stuck in low-performing schools today. This should not be acceptable to anyone,” Patrick, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said in a statement. “Senate Bill 23 gives low-income families the ability to seek out the best educational options for their children.”

The scholarship program would be open to students at risk of dropping out of school or whose family income falls below 200 percent of the free or reduced school lunch program threshold. For a family of four in Texas, the income ceiling for the scholarship would be about $85,000.

More at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/patrick-pushes-school-choice-scholarships/nWmff/ .