The Texas House has given initial approval to legislation creating a $1 billion private school voucher program, breaking a decades-long logjam and handing Gov. Greg Abbott (R) a legacy-defining win in the process.
The measure would create education savings accounts that would allow families to pay for private school tuition and school-related expenses, from textbooks to tutoring and transportation to and from school.
Most of the program’s funding would be aimed mainly at low-income residents and those with disabilities, though as much as 20% of the total would be open to students from wealthier households — those that earn more than $156,000 for a family of four.
Lawmakers also passed a measure increasing the amount school districts would receive per student, from $6,160 to $6,555.
The voucher bill has been one of Abbott’s top priorities since he took office in 2015. In a statement, Abbott celebrated what he called an “extraordinary victory.”
“For the first time in Texas history, our state has passed a universal school choice bill out of both chambers in the Texas legislature,” Abbott said. “When it reaches my desk, I will swiftly sign this bill into law, creating the largest day-one school choice program in the nation and putting Texas on a pathway to becoming the best state in America for educating our kids.”
Texas would become the 15th state in the nation to adopt legislation allowing all, or nearly all, families to apply for public funds to cover private education expenses, according to EdChoice, an Indiana-based nonprofit that advocates for vouchers. Governors in Idaho, Tennessee and Wyoming have signed voucher bills this year.
But even as other red states have embraced vouchers, the path in Texas has been rocky. For years, a bipartisan coalition of Democrats and rural Republicans have blocked voucher bills, concerned that such a program would take funds away from smaller school districts.
After voucher legislation died last year, Abbott and a cadre of conservative billionaires spent millions in Republican primary campaigns, targeting members of his own party who opposed the program. They succeeded in knocking off 15 incumbents, a wave Abbott said had handed him a voucher-backing majority.
On Wednesday, the coalition that had long opposed vouchers crumbled. Just two Republicans voted with all Democrats against the bill.
Democrats, who generally oppose education vouchers, said the measure reeked of politics after so much outside spending in GOP primaries.
“No one really believes we are fully funding schools with this budget. We are not,” Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D) said on the House floor last week.
The measure must still win final passage in the House and return to the Senate for concurrence or a conference committee.
Democrats also objected to a provision that would exclude students whose parents cannot prove the child is a U.S. citizen; the bill does not make clear what entity in Texas government would be responsible for validating a child’s citizenship.
But the House vote signals that the end of a long road is near, and that Abbott is on the brink of scoring a major win.
“School choice is a legacy issue for the governor. No one expended more time or resources to ensure its passage,” said John Wittman, a Texas Republican strategist and former top aide to Abbott. “Republican leaders in Texas have been trying to pass school choice going back to the days of George Bush. Greg Abbott is the one who got it done.”
— Sophie Quinton contributed reporting.