Texas Governor Greg Abbott has now expanded the Special Session of the Texas Legislature agenda to include additional school finance, such as teacher pay raises, school safety, and special education.
This now paves the way for a new plan for school savings accounts.
The Governor says he's worked with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker Dade Phelan to come up with a compromise plan.
It includes savings accounts for students of $10,400 per student, but the participation will now be voluntary.
The plan would phase out the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Test.
The Governor says students participating in the program for vouchers will have the option of taking a norm-referenced test or STAAR test.
The new legislation would also provide billions more in funding for Texas public schools for the biennium, including teacher pay raises and school safety.
The compromise bill will need to be rushed through since the special session ends this week.
*This is a developing story. Follow 1080 KRLD for the latest information.
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