The Texas house just voted to spend $4.5 billion on the public-school system. So why can’t it find half a billion dollars to empower needy students? Giving teachers raises and increasing per-pupil funding is all well and good, but without genuine educational freedom, schools will continue to function as a government monopoly. And as always, parents and pupils will bear the costs.
Make no mistake: Government schools are a monopoly. In economics, an organization has monopoly power when its customers, subscribers, or users cannot seek other providers. Government schools fit this bill. It’s irrelevant that parents can “choose” among various public schools; by law, taxpayer funding is captive to the existing system.
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