Educator urges Texas lawmakers to back House Bill 3, credits school choice for his success

Alan Thompson, an educator who said he grew up in Augusta, Georgia, urged Texas lawmakers to support House Bill 3, praising Governor Greg Abbott as "a champion for school choice." Thompson made the remarks during a public comment, saying the policy had a decisive effect on his life.

Thompson told lawmakers, "School choice definitely changes lives," and said he "would probably not be in the position that I'm in today if it were not for school choice." He said those options, together with community support and teachers, helped him avoid negative outcomes he feared as a youth raised in a single-parent household.

Thompson described his background in the South and credited "the village that raised me, school choice options, and a few good teachers" with enabling his success. "Just recently, I found a new passion and [am] becoming an educator myself and giving back to the community," he said.

He framed his request as an appeal to expand student options statewide: "Texas also has the opportunity to allow all students to attend a school that best fits their needs just like I did," Thompson said. He closed by asking "all Texas lawmakers to join in and support House Bill 3."

The comment consisted of first-person testimony and a direct policy plea; no legislative debate or response is recorded in the transcript.