How much would it cost you to move your child to private school?

SAN ANTONIO – The debate is rolling on over school choice. The Senate proposal (Senate Bill 1) would give eligible families $8,000 to take their children out of public school and into private schools.

The school choice, also known as vouchers or Education Savings Account (ESA), bills will cost the state around $500 million.

But how much will it cost you out of pocket to move your kids from a public school to a private school?

According to the Education Data Initiative, the average private school tuition cost in Texas is $10,668.

Even with the voucher or ESA, that would be $2,668 out of a family's pocket to switch schools.

If you couple that with other private school costs like transportation, meals, and uniforms - switching kids could be costly.

Rebecca Bell-Metereau with the state board of education says this won't help low-income families.

“A lot of families that think they'll be able to get their kids into a great private school, it's not going to be enough for them, if they don't have the money already,” Bell-Metereau said. "The voucher system is absolutely a coupon for rich people.”

“Private schools give away millions of dollars in scholarships,” Laura Colangelo, the executive director of the Texas Private School Association, said. “So, we view this program as a way to augment an already successful privately funded scholarship program, and just to allow more families to have access."

Colangelo said between scholarships and the money that would come from the state, parents would have the tools to help their children. She added that she is working with lawmakers to ensure that low-income families get priority over those who are more well off.

“If there's a school that you think that your child go and talk to them, because if it's a good fit, if it's if they can make a difference in that child's life, they will try."