North Texas' largest Catholic diocese supports school choice bill to expand faith-based learning
DALLAS — North Texas' largest Catholic Diocese is reacting to state lawmakers moving closer to passing a bill aimed at legalizing school choice. The superintendent for the diocese spoke exclusively to CBS News Texas to share why she believes school choice will benefit all students across the state.
"We stand ready to serve our community. We welcome families who want to partner with us," said Dr. Rebecca Hammel, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Dallas. "That's why we are advocating for school choice because we want to give each student the best opportunity we can."
Hammel said Senate Bill 2 would open doors for the diocese to expand faith-based learning.
"We have the freedom to speak about God, and God is core in our lives, and God is core in our instruction," Hammel said. "That's a freedom that public schools simply cannot give."
The bill would give an estimated 35,000 students in public schools across the state around $10,000 to $11,000 each in what's called "Education Savings Accounts" or "ESAs." The money would go toward private school tuition and would come from a $1 billion general fund paid by tax dollars.
"By a parent having the choice of where they are going to place each child is a game-changer for the family and the child," Hammel told CBS News Texas.
But a big barrier for families is tuition. The diocese said its average yearly tuition for elementary schools is $9,000 and $20,000 for high schools. Bishop Dunne, which serves grades 6 through 12, is around $17,000 a year. The diocese said more than 20 percent of students use financial aid for tuition and acknowledged ESAs won't cover the entire cost of tuition for many schools in the area, including Bishop Dunne, but the diocese said it has a plan.
"If the education savings account did not cover the full cost of tuition, we would still work with the family. We still have some scholarship dollars available and financial assistance available," Hammel said.
CBS News Texas reached out to more than 80 public school districts across North Texas, many of which declined to comment. However, Mesquite ISD said it is $31 million underfunded with many of its programs. Mesquite ISD also said, "Vouchers would transfer public tax money to private for-profit and non-profit religious entities with much less accountability than public schools."
Plano ISD also believes all entities receiving public dollars for education must be held to the same rigorous financial and academic transparency and accountability standards. Opposing lawmakers agree vouchers will take away students from public schools, therefore taking away state funding tied to those students.
As of now, the Diocese of Dallas has 14,800 students across 36 schools, with elementary schools at around 73 percent capacity. The diocese said it would like to add 2,500 students to reach its desired capacity.
Hammel said her schools are ready to handle any influx of students ESAs could bring. She said if school choice is passed, it would benefit all students even beyond the diocese.
"Many states are already utilizing similar programs to great success that is even elevating the performance of their public-school systems. So, the timing is right," she added.
If the bill is passed in both the Senate and House, the ESA program would not go into effect until the 2026-27 school year at the earliest.
Watch Eye on Politics on CBS News Texas at 7:30 a.m. Sunday on air and streaming.
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