Ten Republican-led states have passed universal school choice since 2021, yet much of the South is lagging. There’s a simple explanation: Many Republican lawmakers are teachers-union allies and likely need to be defeated in primary elections for school choice to pass.
Republicans against school choice have largely couched their opposition by asserting that rural areas have few private options and need strong public schools. It’s a flawed argument, since universal school choice would create new private options and spur competition that improves public education.
Yet their opposition makes sense when you look at the books. In states that have resisted reform—Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Texas—teachers unions or their allies have lavished cash on lawmakers who oppose choice.
Consider Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott has called a fourth special legislative session to pass universal school choice. State Rep. Glenn Rogers is one of the most vocal Republican opponents of the governor’s plan, and since 2018 teachers-union political-action committees have given him at least $22,500. Rep. Steve Allison, who’s received $24,250, has voted to strip previous bills of school-choice provisions. All told, 24 Republicans in the Texas House voted against education freedom in April. Twenty-two of them are the recipients of teachers union cash, and 11 have received more than $10,000.