Officials in communities like Robert Lee ISD, which has a population of about 1,000, warn vouchers will chip away at already razor-thin public school budgets. With only 250 students — about 18 children per grade—even a slight drop in enrollment and funding can force rural schools to make hard decisions.

While the gender imbalance at the top job in the district has improved from the 1980s when 90+ percent were men, just over 1 in 4 superintendencies today are held by women—with women of color representing just a small proportion of that total.

“How do you say to these students, teachers and parents who have met the grade that good is not good enough, that a B+ is not good enough,” Houston NAACP President Bishop James Dickson said.