Testimony before the Texas State Senate Committee on Education on the K-12 open enrollment provisions proposed in Texas Senate Bill 8.
Thank you to Chairman Creighton and the members of the committee for allowing me to speak briefly on Texas Senate Bill 8 today. My name is Christian Barnard, and I’m a senior policy analyst at the Reason Foundation, a nonprofit think-tank. I’m here to speak specifically on the bill language relating to open enrollment. The language in Senate Bill 8 strengthening the state’s open enrollment policy would greatly benefit Texas students and families who are seeking a public school that best fits their needs.
By outlining a fair process by which school districts and schools should evaluate transfer applicants, prohibiting the charging of public-school tuition, and allowing for transportation across district boundaries, this legislation empowers all families to access a public school of their choice.
Moreover, the proposed bill advances policy that enjoys strong bipartisan support. According to a Feb. 2023 poll published by EdChoice and Morning Consult, 72% of Democrats and 70% of Republicans nationwide support public school open enrollment.
Our education team has published a 50-state analysis of open enrollment policies. We evaluate the strength of state open enrollment policies based on four best practices, which are outlined in the short K-12 open enrollment paper I’ve provided for you all.
A strong open enrollment program featuring these best practices ensures that any family can send their child to a public school that best fits their needs. Texas has an opportunity to join other states, such as Florida and Wisconsin, which have robust open enrollment policies.
You can read more about these state policies in the short public school open enrollment handout I’ve provided you all. One noteworthy feature of Wisconsin’s open enrollment program is its strong transparency. Wisconsin’s program was first enacted in 1998 and has seen a remarkable increase in student participation from about 3,000 students at its inception to over 70,000 participants today. The state publishes annual reports detailing the number of transfer applicants, the number of acceptances and denials, and the reasons students were rejected.
Similarly, Florida requires its school districts to publish application information and school capacity on their websites.
Adopting a strong open enrollment policy in Texas would ensure that public schools truly are available to all students, regardless of race, income, nationality, level of athletic ability, and any other factors that shouldn’t prevent students from learning in the environments that empower them to reach their full potential.
Video of the Texas Senate Committee on Education hearing on Senate Bill 8 and open enrollment featuring Christian Barnard’s testimony at 7:49:30.