ENDORSEMENT: PDE Action Backs Texas House Bill 1

November 7, 2023

It is fundamentally the right and responsibility of parents to direct their child’s upbringing—including their education. PDE Action is therefore proud to endorse Texas House Bill 1, the House Plan for Education Savings Accounts, which will give all Texas families the ability to provide the best possible education for their children. 

Texas House Bill 1 provides families with access to state funds through an Education Savings Account (ESA). Families can then use these funds to purchase educational materials and tutoring services for their children. Parents with a disabled or special needs child would be able to use these funds to purchase the technology and resources they need to support their student. 

Parents Defending Education, our partner organization, has tracked dozens of incidents from Texas that demonstrate the need for more parental involvement in education. Round Rock ISD, for example, instructed teachers to not tell parents if and when their child asks to use another name or pronouns at school. Families should not feel stuck sending their children to schools that subvert parental rights. Texas House Bill 1 would give families an alternative—one where parents, not the state, is in the driver’s seat. 

Parents must be the main decision makers in a child’s life—including in their education. This is

not a right or responsibility that should be reserved for the parents who can afford to pay for

alternatives out of pocket. With House Bill 1, the Texas legislature has an opportunity to meet the needs of its constituents. PDE Action urges the legislature to pass House Bill 1.  

Download a PDF of this statement here.