Whispers around the Capitol are that Gov. Greg Abbott is succeedingly marginalizing himself with his “school choice” crusade, which has slowly transformed from a “parent empowerment” speech to an aggressive campaign against public schools, teachers, and administrators.

His agenda has focused on releasing parents from what he considers to be the indoctrination of “woke” agendas in public schools. Meanwhile, the “parent empowerment night” tour has solely included religious private schools. 

Initially, Abbott’s endeavors appeared to be rational – he embarked on a tour of private schools to generate support for his key legislative priority this session. However, in the last few weeks, some would say his attempts to promote vouchers/ESAS “reeks of desperation,” and are questionable. 

Following his unsuccessful tour, Abbott has been resorting to less-than-cheap tactics to further his agenda, such as push polls, direct mail campaigns, and block walkers distributing negative materials in Speaker Phelan’s House District, as reported by The Quorum Report.

Unfortunately for Abbott, most people in the Capitol can see behind his smokescreen, and perceive his actions as being more motivated by national politics than a genuine commitment to a sound policy.

There is a growing belief that Abbott’s actions are being influenced by his presidential aspirations, which seem to be aligned with those of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. In an effort to catch up with his potential rival for the Republican nomination in 2024, Abbott has been leveraging the concept of “school choice,” thereby using public school teachers, staff, and students as pawns for political gain. These actions are seen by many as yet another scheme by the governor to advance his own ambitions, without any regard for the impact on the education system and children in the state.