Competition and customer choice will not affect the ability of a customer to get power. Local electric companies will continue to own, operate, and maintain lines that transmit electricity to consumers. Consumers will simply have the option to continue to purchase electricity from the local electric company or to choose another supplier that will supply the electricity through the local company's lines. Currently school districts and small consumers of electricity cannot choose the provider of their electricity. Most school districts pay an electricity rate two to four times higher than the industrial rate.
Utility bills are usually the second largest expense in a school district's operating budget.
No shopping around Today school districts cannot get together into aggregate buying groups to achieve substantial purchasing power. In a competitive market, school districts could shop around for the best rate from a variety of regional or national suppliers, and could also band together to form aggregate buying groups to gain substantial rate savings. Industry analysts estimate that local school districts could save 15 to 20 percent on their utility bills in a deregulated market. That action brought to 61 the total number of charters granted since the 1995 Texas Legislature created the new type of public school to give parents choice within the public school system. One charter has since been revoked.