After trying over the course of decades to surmount obstacles laid before them by Democrats and opponents in their own party, Texas Republicans proved successful Thursday in passing universal school choice legislation in a 86-63 vote.
The passage of Texas Senate Bill 2 — which came despite the opposition of nominal Republican state Reps. Dade Phelan and Gary VanDeaver, and after 11 hours of debate — is a major victory for parents statewide, as well as for Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who indicated earlier this year that school choice was his top priority for the 89th Legislature. It may also help set the stage for a similar victory at the national level.
“Today, the Texas House took the final step to advance Senate Bill 2, the largest day-one school choice launch in the nation,” Abbott, who intends to ratify the legislation after its likely adoption by the Senate, said in a statement. “This is an unprecedented victory for families, students, and the future of our great state.”
According to the Texas Tribune, this is the first time since 1957 that the Texas House has approved legislation permitting state funds to be made available for families to use on their kids’ private education.
Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick noted that in both his current capacity and while serving as president of the state Senate, he has observed the Texas Senate pass school choice six times: “The first five bills died in the Texas House, but we never quit.”
‘I’m almost getting tired of winning.’
Patrick lauded the persistence of his colleagues and gave a nod to the last-minute boost provided by President Donald Trump, who reportedly told state lawmakers on a conference Wednesday, “This is a big vote today,” and that he hoped they would “vote in a positive manner.”
Corey DeAngelis, a senior fellow at the American Culture Project and a visiting fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research, told Blaze News that while Texas “wasn’t the first to the party” — 15 other states have passed universal school choice in the past four years — this “is the biggest day-one school choice victory in U.S. history.”
“The Texas win is a big deal,” said DeAngelis. “With Texas joining the club, about 40% of America’s school-age population now lives in states that have passed universal school choice policies. The number is up from 0% in 2021. The momentum for education freedom is almost unbelievable.”
DeAngelis joked, “We’re winning so much, I’m almost getting tired of winning.”
The aim of Senate Bill 2, filed by state Sen. Brandon Creighton, is twofold: first, to “provide additional educational options to assist families in this state in exercising the right to direct the educational needs of their children”; and second, to “achieve a general diffusion of knowledge.”
If ultimately enacted, the bill would direct $1 billion in state funds to create education savings accounts — vouchers that families in the Lone Star State could use to pay for private school tuition and school-related expenses.
Qualifying students under the program who attend a private school would receive $10,000 annually; disabled students would receive up to $30,000 annually; and homeschooled students would receive $2,000.
The Tribune noted that the legislation tethers the voucher program’s per-student dollars to public education funding so that increases or decreases in public school funding would be reflected in the amounts received by students participating in the program.
While this marks a decisive battle won for school choice, DeAngelis told Blaze News, “The fight isn’t over.”
“I expect more than 100,000 students will want to use the school choice program in Texas. Once that demand is shown, the Texas Legislature will need to go back and get rid of the cap on the number of scholarships like they did in states like Arizona and Florida once demand was illustrated,” said the school choice advocate. “I have confidence Texas Republicans will listen to that demand from parents.”
‘We will look back on this day as one of the darkest in Texas history.’
In the meantime, should demand outstrip supply where the program is concerned, poor families and Texas students with disabilities will receive priority.
Despite their support for choice on other matters, state Democrats — particularly those who have cozied up with public teachers’ unions — are enraged over the promise of an affordable option when it comes to Texas kids’ education.
“This bill is everything that is wrong with politics. It’s the interest of big money over everyday Texans,” said state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, a Democrat endorsed by the Texas State Teachers Association and the Texas American Federation of Teachers.
Democratic state Rep. John Bucy III, who was also endorsed by the Texas AFT, said, “The history books will remember who gutted public education. We will look back on this day as one of the darkest in Texas history.”
State Rep. Alma Allen (D), a former public school administrator, suggested the “harmful voucher scam” would somehow send the state backward.
Lt. Gov. Patrick recommended the Texas Senate concur with Senate Bill 2 Friday afternoon, and Gov. Abbott reiterated he was “ready to sign this bill into law.”
Sen. Brandon Creighton noted, “Parents, lawmakers, and education advocates across Texas are finally seeing real momentum to deliver education freedom.”
The success in Texas might have national implications.
“The Texas government school monopoly has fallen. More dominoes are likely to fall with Texas leading the way. The dam is breaking, and there’s nothing Randi Weingarten and the teachers’ unions can do about it,” said DeAngelis. “This school choice momentum is sure to fuel the battle for nationwide school choice. President Trump campaigned on the issue and ultimately won the parent vote by 9 points. That’s a national mandate for education freedom.”
‘It’s time to get nationwide school choice across the finish line.’
Earlier this year, Republican Reps. Adrian Smith (Neb.) and Burgess Owens (Utah) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) introduced legislation that would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a charitable donation incentive for individuals and businesses to bankroll scholarship awards for students to cover expenses related to K-12 public and private education.
“The Educational Choice for Children Act is a top priority for the 119th Congress because it puts power where it belongs — in the hands of families, not bureaucracies,” Owens said in a statement. “The days of tolerating a one-size-fits-all system that traps students in mediocrity are over.”
The scholarships under the proposed legislation would be dealt out to students as a voucher. Most families would be eligible so long as their household incomes are not 300% greater than their region’s median income.
The New York Times noted that the national bill could be included in a budget reconciliation bill this summer. Accordingly, Republicans would need only 51 votes in the U.S. Senate to seal the deal.
“The Educational Choice for Children Act passed out of the House Ways and Means committee last year, and it is already co-sponsored by most Republicans in Congress,” noted DeAngelis. “President Trump said he would sign it, and the legislation is supported by Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune. It’s time to get nationwide school choice across the finish line.”
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