Expanding school choice has been a priority of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) during this legislative session.
“All of Texas students will be doing better with a robust school choice program in the state of Texas, “ Abbott said at a rally earlier this year.
The Texas Senate passed its bill expanding school choice. It includes education savings accounts of roughly $8,000 of state money for families for private school costs. But the Texas House soon passed an amendment to its budget, which prohibited state money for voucher-type programs. That was a strong signal of where the House stood on the issue.
A substitute version of Senate Bill 8, is now in front of the House Public Education Committee.
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“I do not take this task lightly, and I understand the passion involved on both sides of this issue,” said State Rep. Brad Buckley (R-Saledo, District 54), chairman of the House Public Education Committee.
The scaled-down bill provides savings accounts for some special education students and some students in schools with an "F" rating. It will also replace the state-mandated STAAR test with another assessment.
Lawmakers heard testimony from educators on both sides of the issue.
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Paige Williams, the director of legislation for the Texas Classroom Teachers Association, was one of the witnesses against the bill.
“Introducing private school vouchers will only exacerbate the problem of a chronically underfunded public school system,” Williams said.
Dr. Tracy Hanson, the founder and principal of Oak Creek Academy in Killeen, was one of the witnesses testifying in favor of it.
“If a family cannot afford a private education, is that really a choice? What if it's the only place that their child will ever be able to succeed,” Hanson said.
Abbott released a statement on Twitter before the debate. It can be read below.
The hearing ended Monday evening with no vote. The bill is left pending.
The 88th Texas Legislature ends its regular session in two weeks, on Memorial Day, May 29.
