About 87 percent of the students pass state achievement tests. It shows a choice program can work and that local control can give parents greater opportunities, Mr. Bush said. The Republican governor has failed in recent legislative sessions to get his own voucher project passed in Texas. Earlier this year, a proposal he backed to set up a pilot program died in a committee in the GOP-led Senate. Opponents say that sending limited education money to private and religious schools will strip local public schools of vital funding.
Backers say it gives students freedom to leave poor-scoring schools.
During the tour of the community center, Mr. Bush watched happily as youngsters performed a semi-traditional Mexican dance. He used the opportunity to tell another story, also involving a cat. Mr. Bush recalled how about a year ago the family dog began barking at a stray kitten that had found its way to the Governor's Mansion lawn, which is in downtown Austin and away from any neighborhoods. The Bushes began feeding the kitten, which was initially wild. But it eventually became tame and now lives in the mansion.