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The Texas Tribune
The Texas Tribune
National
Pooja Salhotra

Texas’ private and rural schools again brace for a showdown on school choice

Jacey Eagle, a freshman, takes a test during advanced biology as students attend classes at Lufkin High School in Lufkin, Texas, U.S., on Friday, January 27, 2023. Public school officials in rural areas like Lufkin face budget challenges because of proposed school choice legislation, which provides taxpayer-funded alternatives to sending a child to a local public school.
Jacey Eagle, a freshman, takes a test during advanced biology class at Lufkin High School on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. Public school officials in rural areas like Lufkin could face budget challenges because of proposed legislation that would provide taxpayer-funded alternatives to sending a child to a local public school. (Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune)

LUFKIN — Michael Lee knows what it’s like to make tough budget decisions.

As the former superintendent of Booker Independent School District, Lee experienced the highs and lows of the oil and gas industry. During oil booms, the rural town at the northern tip of the Texas Panhandle swelled as job opportunities expanded. During busts, families packed up and left town — and took public school dollars with them.

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