Governor Greg Abbott is renewing his push to pass a bill that would allow for school choice in Texas. Abbott spoke to the Texas Public Policy Foundation's summit in Austin.
"Our goal must be to take the actions needed to put Texas on a pathway to having the best education of the kids of our state in the United States of America," Abbott said.
Abbott refuted claims a school choice bill would help the wealthy. He says the median private school tuition is about $9,000, but the average is higher because a smaller number of schools charge much more.
"The bottom line is there's going to be an abundance of schools across the entire state that families are going to be able to afford without coming out of pocket a single penny," Abbott said.
The Texas House Democratic Caucus has published a website listing reasons the party opposes school choice.
"Vouchers take your taxpayer dollars from your local school to subsidize private education for the wealthy few. Voucher scams do not improve your child's education, but they do give wealthy parents a discount on their private school tuition," the organization says.
The state legislature last increased the per-student allotment for public schools in 2019. The Texas House Democratic Caucus says Abbott is holding public schools "hostage" because previous attempts at school choice have failed.
"For decades, a bipartisan coalition has rejected voucher scams. The only thing that's changed is the tens of millions that billionaires like Tim Dunn, Farris Wilks, and Jeff Yass are spending to push voucher scams in Texas. They're lying about public schools and public officials because vouchers serve their interests — not yours," the group says.
Abbott says the bill would not divert funding from public schools. Instead, he says education savings accounts and public school funding would be kept in "separate pots."
"It's the same concept as this: Just as we set aside money for roads, for water, for power, for the other things we pay for in the state, we can set aside money for school choice," he says.
The Texas Senate has passed a bill that would set aside $1 billion for up to 100,000 children to receive $10,000 if they enroll at an accredited private school. Students with disabilities would receive $11,500. Students who are homeschooled would receive $2,000. The bill passed 19-12 with all Democrats and one Republican voting against the measure.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who leads the Senate, released a statement saying this was the sixth time the chamber has approved school choice. He said the Senate would pass the bill "over and over again" until the House puts the bill on the governor's desk.
Abbott worked to defeat House Republicans who opposed school choice in their primaries last year. Some Republicans said rural areas may not have viable alternatives to public education. They have said vouchers could hurt rural districts' financial health without providing a benefit to families.
Abbott described that as a "false argument."
"I was over in Athens, Texas. I categorize Athens, Texas as rural," he said. "They have a robust private school there. "
Earlier this week, Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows said he believes Republicans have enough votes in the chamber to pass a school choice bill this year.
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