School vouchers or Education Savings Accounts are moving closer to probable approval during the Texas 89th legislative session.
On Feb. 5, the Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 2, which provides $1 billlion in funding from the state’s surplus general revenue, beginning fiscal year 2026-27 to launch a school choice program. The bill will now go before the Texas House.
In 2023, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott proposed a voucher bill, but was unsuccessful. He received private funding to push his plan forward and remove 17 legislators during the primary elections in an attempt to ensure its approval during this session.
“It’s going to pass because he bought the votes,” Hays CISD Superintendent Dr. Eric Wright said.
Proponents of the bill claim it will save money. By the end of fiscal year 2028, the program will save, according to the Legislature’s analysis, $2.5 million and almost double that in the year ending in 2029.
Opponents of the bill argue that it will reduce funding for the already underfunded public schools in the state. Public schools have not received increased funding since 2019.
“Sustainability is already going down,” said Wright.
Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick previously claimed the program would not affect public school funding at all. Despite these claims, Abbott recently posted the following on X: “The people ‘defunding’ public schools are PARENTS choosing a better option than what their assigned school provides. When they leave, the funding for that child leaves too. Democrats want to FORCE families to stay in government mandated schools against their will.”
Senate Bill 2 would set up eligibility requirements with service providers compiling a list of approved educationrelated expenses. It also states that initially, any child attending public school would be eligible for an education account, as well as home schoolers who want to enroll their children in private education. The Senate Legislature specified that children of statewide elected officials would not be eligible.
Hays County educates more than 35,000 students among Dripping Springs ISD, Hays CISD and Wimberley ISD. That is equal to the 35,000 students state-wide which the voucher program projects it will fund at $10,000 or $11,500, depending on the student’s needs. Home-schooled families opting out of placing their students in private school would be eligible for $2,000 for education expenses.
If there are more applicants than positions available, due to insufficient funding, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts would allocate 80% of the positions to children enrolled in public school thart have 90% attendance during the 2025-26 school year.
The second restriction would limit availability of funds to those households with income less than 500% of the federal poverty level. “Low income” under this stipulation is defined as $160,750 for a family of four. If approved, each child would receive $10,000 or $11,500 for a child with a disability. Once those positions are filled, the remaining positions would be filled by lottery to eligible applicants and that includes students who are already attending private school.
If parents decide to use the account to enroll in a private school, it must be a private school accredited by the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission.
In Hays County, there are 12 private schools accredited and tuition ranges from $8,000 to $37,000. In addition to the cost of tuition, there are registration and application fees, transportation and other costs, none of which are covered by the voucher. For those families with children already attending private school, the $10,000 or $11,500 voucher would be approved to cover a portion of the expenses they already pay.
“What guardrails are put in place to know tax dollars are spent well?” Wright asked. “Abbott wants vouchers to help his colleagues and help them pay for their private schools; 90% of students attend public schools. I want to see them do right by our students.”
To voice public opinion and find out how much a school district would lose if school choice passes, House Democrats launched a website, www. Don’tDefundMySchool.com.
For more information on Senate Bill 2, visit bit.ly/4b7SRqx.
