The Texas Senate on Tuesday debated Senate Bill 2 -- a $1 billion school choice bill that would give parents access to thousands of taxpayer dollars to send their children to a private school.
Texas Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-The Woodlands) rolled out Senate Bill 2, which he sponsored, for the Senate Education Committee K-16 on Tuesday. It would provide a $10,000 education savings account for parents to send their child to a private school.
“Senate Bill 2 finally brings Texas in line with 32 other states both with Republican and Democrat governors," Creighton said.
Creighton also pushed the importance of how he believed the legislation would empower parents to do what’s best for their child’s education.
“Many of our Texas students need options and variations on their learning environment; options that serve their needs," he said.
While the eligibility of earlier voucher plans from previous sessions focused on helping students with disabilities and those coming from failing schools, Creighton’s plan does not.
”This doesn’t prioritize the lowest income," Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) said. "I don’t see anything in here about prioritizing kids coming from academically failing schools.”
Creighton answered that the program would include all Texas kids since the state’s education problem goes beyond its failing schools or those in low-income areas.
“It was bullying and it was the heavy influx of one-time you-try-and-you-die fentanyl... the learning environment itself in schools all across the state," Creighton said.
Democrats have opposed the measure, advocating instead for increased investment in public schools.
“Republicans have been in control of this state for the last 30 years and have been unable to fix those inequities in our school system," Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio).
Sen. Jose Menendez (D-San Antonio) questioned whether $10,000 would be enough for those in most financial need.
“My concern is that we’re setting aside a billion dollars for this new education savings voucher, but I haven’t seen the same level of investment in our public schools," Menendez said. "I just think it concerns me that we’re creating a tilting of the playing field.”
From their responses, most of the Republican majority Senate Education Committee supported the legislation.
“An old saying is iron sharpens iron, so shall school choice sharpen the entire Texas education system,” Sen. Paul Bettencourt, (R-Houston) said.
“We are working hard to make sure Texas is the next state to pass school choice for every child," Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) said.
The debate highlights the ongoing divide over school choice policies in Texas, with significant implications for public and private education funding.
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