Dan Patrick tears up while explaining charter school bill

AUSTIN (AP) — The head of the Senate Education Committee broke into tears Thursday as he promised to fight for dramatically expanding "school choice" in Texas.

But Sen. Dan Patrick also announced that he was softening his high-profile bill to allow an unlimited number of charter schools to operate statewide.

Instead, the Houston Republican told his committee he is modifying his proposal to seek a more-gradual, tiered approach to charter school expansion.

The committee has the power to refer the modified bill to the full Senate. It instead left it pending.

Meanwhile, Patrick's tears came as a group of students told the committee of dropping out of school but then returning thanks to charter schools specializing in at-risk youth.

His voice cracking, Patrick said, "I am going to fight for you."

Patrick calls himself an "education evangelist," and says that while wealthy families can afford to move so their kids attend strong public schools, low-income students are "held hostage by their Zip codes."

But defenders of traditional schools dismiss the plan as a new wrinkle on long controversial voucher systems that funnel money away from already cash-strapped traditional public schools.