School voucher bill heads to Texas governor

AUSTIN, Texas (CN) — The Texas Senate gave final approval on Thursday to a $1 billion school voucher bill, ending a long-fought campaign by Republicans and sending the matter to Governor Greg Abbott for his signature.

After being approved by the Texas House of Representatives last week, State Senator Brandon Creighton, a Republican from Conroe and the author of Senate Bill 2, urged his colleagues to concur with changes made by the House and send the bill to the governor.

The changes include the amount families will receive from the state and the requirement that program applicants must show their child is a U.S. citizen or has lawful status.

Just before the body voted on the motion to concur, Creighton said SB 2 would empower parents to make the educational choices that best suit their children and touted the scope of the program.

“We are launching the largest school choice opportunity in American history with 100,000 students, Texas style,” he said.

Under SB 2, families may apply through the comptroller’s office to receive around $10,000 in an “education savings account” for them to use to pay for private school tuition and other education-related expenses, including textbooks, uniforms, transportation, therapies and food.

The amount of money they receive is tied to the funds school districts receive per pupil. Families are eligible to receive 85% of those funds — unless their child has special needs, opening them up to possibly receiving up to $30,000. Homeschool students are eligible to receive up to $2,000.

Any student from prekindergarten to post-high school, including students already enrolled in private schools, is eligible to receive the voucher. If schools get more applications than they can accommodate, priority is given to students with special needs, who are at or below 500% of the federal poverty level.

Private schools seeking to accept these public dollars are required to be approved by the comptroller’s office and administer a national norm-referenced test, such as the SAT or ACT, to all students between grades three through 12.

Going into Thursday’s vote, watchers of the legislature, supporters and opponents of SB 2 knew of Creighton’s intention to concur and the high likelihood that Democrats could not stop SB 2 from advancing. However, that did not stop Senator Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat from San Antonio, from attempting to derail the bill.

Gutierrez raised a rule violation, known as a point of order, against SB 2, claiming it went against the Texas Constitution’s requirement that bills only have one subject. After a short discussion with the Senate parliamentarian, the point of order was overruled by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, acting president of the Senate.

Lacking any procedural method to challenge the bill, Democrats turned to speaking against the bill before the pivotal vote.

Gutierrez spoke first, saying, “I am not for this bill because this bill ultimately hurts rural Texans. I am not for this bill because the vast majority of kids that it will help are already in private school.”

He went on to raise his discontent with the fact that a provision of the bill barring members serving in the legislature from taking part in the program was removed by the House. Gutierrez pleaded with the members not to concur so that the provision could be revived, but the bill was approved as is. Creighton later signaled that the provision may be able to return in a separate piece of legislation.

Democrat Senator Molly Cook of Houston called SB 2 “a fundamental betrayal of our constitutional obligation to support and maintain an efficient system of public free schools.”

She also placed the onus on Texas Republicans for passing the bill.

“Democrats did not vote for this,” Cook said. “It is a Republican legislature that is passing vouchers.”

Patrick, scolding Cook, said she crossed a line by making political statements on the floor. He added, “We do fully fund public education and many of the people in your district support school choice. You need to look at the polls.”

While Democrats bemoaned the moment, Republicans took a final victory lap, celebrating what they view as a win for parents and students.

Senator Tan Parker, a Republican from Flower Mound, said it was an incredible day and thanked Creighton for his work on SB 2. He described it as a significant investment in the future of the state’s children.

“This education savings account opportunity will give those kids that have been trapped in underperforming schools an enormous opportunity to have a bright and prosperous future,” Parker said.

Bringing down his gavel and calling the vote, Lieutenant Governor Patrick gave the final word on the legislature’s work on SB 2, pronouncing: “School choice has come to Texas!”

Senate Bill 2 now heads to Governor Abbott’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law. From the start of the session, Abbott has made passing a school voucher bill a top priority. He is also largely responsible for this outcome, thanks to his efforts to oust rural Republicans who opposed vouchers in the 2024 Republican primaries.

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