A proposal creating a voucher-like program where public funds could be used towards private schools was passed by the Texas Senate Wednesday, just days after Gov. Greg Abbott made it an emergency item for the current legislative session.
The vote on also comes less than a week since the Texas Senate Education Committee the bill forward. SB 2 now heads to the Texas House for consideration.
Texas 鈥渄eserves to have the biggest launch鈥� of any school choice program in the nation, said bill sponsor Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) speaking from the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon. If ultimately signed into law, SB 2 would potentially cost the state to implement.
The legislation would create Education Savings Accounts, or ESAs, providing Texas parents with $10,000 of state funds per student to subsidize the costs of private schooling. The bill tacks on an additional $1,500 dollars for children with disabilities.
This isn鈥檛 the first time the bill has come up in Texas. In 2023, Democrats and in the Texas House rejected the idea several times during the general session and that followed.
Lawmakers weigh in on their hopes for 鈥� and concerns about 鈥� the plan
Opponents of these types of programs claim they divert much-needed funds from public education and weaken state鈥檚 school systems.
Sen. Creighton made sure to address these concerns in his opening statement before Wednesday鈥檚 debate.
鈥淭his program is funded from the surplus it does not come from public education dollars,鈥� said Creighton.
He continued by acknowledging that some people accuse the legislation of using tax dollars to fund private schools, while he said he sees it as primarily helping children in Texas.
鈥淟et鈥檚 get this done for who this plan actually serves, students in Texas that need help the most,鈥� Creighton said.
According to the Texas Education Agency, will make the switch from public to private schools in 2027. But Creighton said his data from the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission shows that 74,000 seats in private schooling will be available.
Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, told the chamber he worried the bill could lead to prioritizing white students, a hat tip to when vouchers were used by Southern states to get around .
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to make certain that a methodology is in place to assure that we are not propping up a system that will be segregated,鈥� West said.
Creighton rejected that assessment, adding that he believes the plan allows students to, 鈥渘ot be trapped by zip code.鈥�
However, West said that isn鈥檛 the same as prioritizing minority families.
鈥淚t puts them in a lottery with everyone else,鈥� said West. 鈥淭he priority should be going to kids in low-performing schools.鈥�
What to watch for next on SB 2
Though the bill has safely navigated out of the Senate, there is no telling whether the bill will have as quick of a journey through the Texas House 鈥� the chamber where it died several deaths in 2023.
Over the weekend, Texas Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) hedged his support for Gov. Greg Abbott鈥檚 seven emergency items, which included school choice. He wrote in a X post that the governor and House鈥檚 priorities are 鈥渃learly largely aligned.鈥�
Burrows鈥� Senate counterpart, Lt. Gov Dan Patrick, has long been a supporter of the proposal. Patrick recently attended a school choice roundtable at the White House with President Donald Trump, just a day after Trump directing the Secretary of Education to prioritize school choice programs.
The creation of a voucher-like program for Texas has been in the works since the 2023 legislative session. The governor has served as its ardent defender 鈥� who voted against the plan last session by against them.
Gov. Abbott reiterated his previous sentiments during his State of the State address on Sunday, saying that public schools don鈥檛 work for everyone.
鈥淧arents are a child鈥檚 first teacher,鈥� he said. 鈥淪chools must work for parents, not the other way around.鈥�
SB 2 now heads to the Texas House, which has yet to file its own version of the bill. However, filed last month set aside the same $1 billion to fund an eventual ESA program.
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