Beyond the Reach of Nationalization? The Case of Private School Choice in Texas

• In Event: Political Parties and American Democracy Mini-Conference III: The State of Polarization, Nationalization, and Identity in U.S. Schools

Abstract

Scholars have observed that state and local politics have become nationalized, with less split-ticket voting and government decisions increasingly reflecting distinct party stances. However, this has been less the case with education policy. In particular, private school choice policies, which use government funds to pay for private school tuition have been a priority for the Republican party, yet Republican politicians in Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and elsewhere have at times rejected private school choice. Why have some state legislators strayed from the party on this issue? This study uses the case of Texas to answer this question. Using roll-call voting data from the ten private school choice proposals that reached the floor of the Texas legislature between 2013 and 2023, I find that population density is key to whether state legislators support private school choice; Republican legislators that represent more rural districts are more likely to vote against private school choice than those representing urban districts. I find that this result is largely driven by school enrollment in rural areas. Lastly, I find evidence that the centrality of public schools to the community is inversely related to representatives’ votes for private school choice policies. These findings suggest that local factors can still trump partisan stances in state level education politics.

Author

• Leslie K. Finger, University of North Texas