Do parents have choices now if they are not satisfied with their childs public school?
Public school choice is widely available in Texas, and options continue to grow within the public schools. Magnet schools, intra-district and inter-district student transfers, open-enrollment campuses, charter schools, schools within schools, evening high schools, and school to work programs are examples of choice alternatives within the public system. Urban school districts are especially providing many public school alternatives for parents. For example, in Houston ISD 36,000 students transferred to other public schools in 1998. To whatever extent “competition” might be useful, such competition already exists through the many choice options within the public schools. Parents can work with their elected school board members to establish or expand public school choice.
