A roomful of Texas lawmakers and Gov. Gregg Abbott joined President Donald Trump on a phone call on Wednesday to reaffirm Republican commitment to universal school choice in the Lone Star State.
The meeting took place in Austin during a break from the House floor. The legislation, which was already approved by the state Senate, earmarks $1 billion for private school vouchers in the first year, or up to $10,000 per selected child.
It also provides up to $2,000 for homeschooling expenses and up to $30,000 for special education students who choose a different school. Low-income students would receive priority consideration. The Legislature could increase the allocation in future years based on interest from Texas families.
A vote on the measure, Senate Bill 2, was postponed on Wednesday afternoon so House members could first discuss the $8 billion public school appropriations bill—House Bill 2—which has implications for universal school choice because many Democrats have said increased funding on public schools, especially in the way of special education, should take priority over school measures.
The bill passed 144–4 and now goes to the state Senate.
“It’s [Texas] leading in energy and leading in jobs,” Trump said. “And now we’re going to be leading in education too. I just think it’s a really forward-thinking vote.”
Universal school choice legislation has failed in the past, but several Republicans who opposed it, some of them in very rural areas where there are no alternatives to public schools, were not reelected last year. Texas Policy Research, a nonprofit that reports on the state Legislature, indicates that there are enough Republicans in the House to push through school choice even if all 62 Democrats in that branch oppose it.
On the House floor on Wednesday, Democrats wore “I Love Public Schools” stickers on their lapels.
Democrats have argued that Texas universal school choice allows private schools to deny students admission even though those vouchers are paid with taxpayer dollars that would otherwise go to public schools.
They have also said that many schools in urban areas and suburbs charge more than $40,000 per year and wouldn’t be attainable for low-income recipients.
There appeared to be bipartisan support for the $8 billion public school appropriations bill despite some concerns about funding inequities among some schools for programs such as bilingual instruction.
Democrats and Republicans continued to make amendments to House Bill 2 into the afternoon.
Rep. Brad Buckley (R-Salado) said the public school appropriations package includes more funding per student, significant salary hikes for teachers, additional money for teacher certifications and training, and more than $1 billion for special education programs.
“It’s the largest school funding bill in Texas history,” he said.
